Two Little Witches
by The Raider
Summary: AU. After one of their spells goes awry, Tara and Willow find themselves turned back into children. Still somewhat unsure of where to take her life, Buffy finds herself wanting to know what it's like to have children around the house and in her life. Deciding to temporally 'adopt' the two girls, she soon finds out that being a 'parent' isn't all that it's cracked up to be…
1. Prologue: The Spell

**So...this is totally just something I started writing one day, and it's completely changed into the start of the final product you see here. This is in no way connected to my earlier story "Babysitting Willow" although the idea of Willow turning into a child is present here...it's just Tara turns too...  
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**IT WAS TOO CUTE AN IDEA NOT TO WRITE!**

**So...enjoy :D  
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**Notes: This takes place in an altered summer between Season 5 & 6. Buffy didn't die because they stopped the ritual before the portal could be opened. As such, everyone is alive. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the other characters, they belong to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.**

* * *

**Prologue:**

"Ok, ready?" Looking up from the candle that she had been lighting, Willow Rosenberg smiled at the girl sitting across from her in the circle. Giving a small nod in response to her girl's question, Tara Maclay returned the red-head's smile and closed her eyes as she raised her hands and waited for the other Witch to take hold of them. Taking the offer hands into her own gentle grasp, Willow closed her eyes and began to mentally recite the words to the spell that she and her girl had decided to cast. It had been a slow summer after the defeat of Glory, and as such, they had returned to doing spells for fun in order to stay on top of their connections. There had been slight trouble concerning the fact that she had absorbed a small amount of Dark Magick in order to combat the Hell God when she had been temporally enraged at the state that had been forced upon Tara, but with the other Witch's help, Willow had been able to safely work the Dark Magicks out of her system.

"Hecate, guide us in our efforts to cast this spell." Saying the beginning words of the spell aloud in her soft, but firm voice, Tara could already feel the usual spark that accompanied the beginning of any spell that she cast with the girl that she had been with for almost a year and a half now. "We ask only for your guidance and that you ensure our safety in our efforts."

Seemingly able to feel the charge that was beginning to circulate within the circle, the Witch fell silent as Willow began to speak her own half of the spell. The spell itself was short one, and as the red-head finished her sentence, Tara opened her eyes in order to see if that the object they had been trying to levitate was suspended in mid-air. As her blue eyes focused on the object, she frowned as she saw that it was laying still on the ground, having not moved a single inch. Opening her own green irises, Willow's lips formed a small pout.

"Why didn't it work? We did everything the book said, at least as far as we could translate it."

"Maybe we mistranslated one word?" Offering her own idea of what could have gone wrong, Tara sighed. "That's happened before."

"Guess we should have had Giles translate it for us after-all. Granted, my memory of the Latin dictionary is a little bit rus…" Stopping in mid-sentence, Willow looked down at her stomach. "Ok, I'm gonna take it that feeling like I'm gonna vomit is good sign…"

"Aww, do you want me to rub your tumm-" Repeating the exact same abrupt pause that her girl had done, Tara's blue eyes grew slightly wide. "W-Why does my head hurt?"

"I'm starting to get a bad feeling about th-OW!" As a sharp pain in her forehead forced her to stop in mid-sentence, the red-headed Witch let go of the other girl's hands in order to rest them against her now aching head. Pressing her own hands against her head, Tara hissed slightly from the sharp pain that was beginning to quickly build up into more and more pressure. Within moments of the Witches letting go of each other's hands, all of the candles that surrounded the circle extinguished themselves simultaneously. Still able to feel the charge that hung in every corner of the room, Willow opened her eyes amid her still aching head and looked at the other girl. Her mind fully prepared to see the other girl rising out of the circle, her eyes grew wide once she saw the sight that awaited her.

"_Tara?!" _Her green irises fully taking in every inch of the other girl, the red-headed Witch found not the fully-grown young adult that she had grown so used to seeing, but instead a child that bore an uncanny resemblance to the girl she loved.

"Willow, my head hurts…" Saying the complaint in a voice that complimented her child-like state, Tara's blue eyes looked up at the other girl with a small amount of pain in them. As she looked back at the girl with her mouth hanging open in astonishment, Willow finally forced her gaze away as she felt a small tingle beginning to cycle through her body as her head continued to rest admit a growing amount of pain. Closing her eyes for a moment, the red-headed Witch felt the world around her seemingly becoming smaller and smaller...until finally she opened her green eyes and looked at everything through a child's vision. As she looked around the room before refocusing her eyes' gaze on Tara, Willow frowned.

"Where is everyone, Tara?" She asked, her voice sounding unlike her normal self.

"I don't know. Maybe they're downstairs. Were we taking a nap?"

"I don't think so. We must have been playing a game." Shaking her head as gestured to the candles that surrounded them, the red-headed child expression went emotionless for a few moments. "Were we playing pretend instead?"

"Maybe." Shaking her head somewhat slowly, Tara looked at the thin fog of smoke rising from one of the candles near her. "We shouldn't have been playing with candles. Aunt Buffy said not to."

"Willow, I'm sorry for barging in, but I was wondering if you could…help…me…with…some…math-" Walking into the room with her eyes buried into the text book she held in her hands, Dawn felt the book fall from her grip as she looked up and saw the sight that awaited her._ "Oh...my...god!"_

"Aunt Dawn!" Upon seeing the girl, Willow smiled and raised her arms as if she wanted the girl to pick her up. "We missed you!"

"Dawn, something wrong in there?" Just coming up the stairs, Buffy made her way down the hallway until she reached the room that the two Witches had shared together for the past months after electing to move in once the idea was offered to them. Coming to a stop in the doorway, the Slayer's eyes followed her sister's gaze until she saw the two children sitting on the floor. Her eyes growing wide with a mixture of shock and surprise, the blonde girl stared silently at the two children that were, undoubtedly, Willow and Tara.

"Dawn…why are Willow and Tara…kids?" Finally finding the words to the question that was all her mind could think of at that moment, Buffy's gaze never once flinched or traveled away from the two children sitting cross-legged on the floor amid extinguished candles with smiles on their faces.

"I don't know…" Her own eyes unable to look away from the two Witches, Dawn gave a small shrug of shoulders, the action seeming somewhat awkward. "I didn't do it though…"


	2. Explanations

**Chapter 1**

_"Taraaaaa,_ stop it!" As she said the sentence, Willow giggled as the other child kissed her cheek. "You're gonna give me cooties!"

"But we're both girls." Giggling as well, Tara covered her mouth with her hands as her blue eyes showed a certain sense of happiness that only a child could show to another human being. "We can't get cooties from _each other."_

"But you're still kissing me!" Still laughing, the red-head girl leaned over and planted her lips against the blonde girl's cheek. "See, now I gave you cooties!"

"Willow, stop!" Shaking her head slightly as if she were attempting to get rid of the 'cooties' that she had just been given, Tara reached out and pulled the other girl to her in a hug. "I'm gonna get you."

"Aunt Dawn, help me!" Giggling incessantly, Willow struggled to get out of the other girl's grip. "Tara won't stop kissing and hugging me!"

"Willow, she's doing nothing wrong." Shaking her head as she fought back the urge to laugh, Dawn smiled as she looked up from the book she had been absorbed in. "Tara, I think you should_ keep_ hugging her."

_"Nooo!"_ Still struggling, the red-head giggled as the other child followed Dawn's order and hugged her tighter. "Tara, let me go!"

"Nope, your mine, and I'm yours. We're gonna be together forever!" Smiling widely, the girl closed her eyes and once again planted her lips against the other child's cheek. Her giggles finding renewed strength, the red-headed child finally managed to wiggle out of the girl's grip. Seizing the opportunity, she turned around and pounced on top of the blonde girl, making a face that silently spoke 'I have you, how does it feel to be on the receiving side?'

_"Rawr,_ I have you now!" Showing her teeth, Willow pressed her lips against the other girl's cheek, before making her fingers dance across the exposed skin on the blonde's stomach. As she felt the red-head tickling her, the sound of Tara's laughter filled out the rest of the room. Still watching the scene unfold, Dawn finally allowed herself to chuckle as she crossed the room.

"Ok, Willow, let Tara get up now. You're gonna make her pee her pants."

"But I'm a monster, and she's my prisoner! _RAWR!"_ Showing her teeth again as she made a stereotypical monster sound that sounded like something from an old horror movie, the red-head felt the soft touch of the couch leave her bare feet as Dawn picked her up.

"Alright, but the monster and her prisoner have to go to sleep now. You guys have been running around for three straight hours now. You're both taking a nap, otherwise you're probably gonna pass out on the floor."

_"Awww,_ but we're not tired..." Her expression changing into a pout as she heard Dawn's words, Tara watched as Dawn knelt down and offered her other shoulder to her. "Please, don't make us take a nap, Aunt Dawn."

"What did I say about buts earlier? I don't wanna hear 'em." Waiting patiently, the youngest Summers girl finally saw the child push herself off of the couch and slowly shuffle over to where she was waiting. Wrapping her arms around the brunette girl's neck, Tara sighed. Setting her hand against the girl's legs as she returned to her full height, Dawn turned around as she heard a yawn in her ear from the other girl. "Besides, Willow seems tired."

"Willow, you gave us away!" Frowning at the other girl, Tara saw the red-head hide her face in Dawn's shoulder as she heard her words.

"I'm sorry, Tara. Don't be mad at me."

"Tara, stop being mean to her. She can't help it if she's tired. You chased her around outside for almost an hour!" Somewhat playfully berating the younger girl, Dawn strengthened her expression somewhat as she continued to head towards the stairs with the two children in her grip.

"She wouldn't let me kiss her though, so I had to chase her." Pouting, Tara reached out with one of her hands and laid her small fingers against the other girl's fiery red-hair. "Willow, I'm sorry. Don't hide your pretty face from me."

"You yelled at me, Tara." Raising her head, the child's green eyes seemed unbelievably sad. "You don't love me anymore."

"No, I do, Willow. I love you!" Having to return her arm to its original place around Dawn's neck once more as the older girl started up the stairs, Tara kept her blue eyes focused on the green irises looking gloomily at her. "I gave you kisses and hugged you!"

"But you yelled at me...You don't love me because you yelled at me." Reaching up in order to run her finger through her eye in order to prevent a tear from falling down her cheek, the red-head child almost immediately returned the limb to its place around Dawn's neck before she felt Tara entwine her fingers around her hand before it could come to rest.

"I love you, Willow. Remember? We're supposed to be together forever."

"You're not mad at me?" Staring at the other child, Willow's tone showed the faint signs of hope intermixed with the sadness she was feeling.

"No, I love you." Smiling back at the other girl, Tara tried to lean in to kiss the girl on the cheek, but found herself being blocked by Dawn.

"Ok, guys, enough with the little kid 'wuvin'. You guys are going to sleep."

"But we're not tired." Saying the phrase at the same time, Willow and Tara morphed their lips into identical twin pouts as Dawn set them down onto the master bed that the two of them had shared multiple times in their adult life.

"Save it. You guys are taking a nap, and that's the end of it. Alright?" The older girl answered, setting her hands on her hips in the process as she perked up her eyebrow. "I don't want to hear you guys running around or anything up here. Remember what I said Aunt Buffy does to naughty little Witches who don't listen to their Aunt?"

"You said she'd spank us and make us stand in the corner." Swallowing hard as she answered the younger Summers girl, Willow placed her hands over her eyes in an attempt to hide them. "I don't want to be spanked. Spanking hurts."

"I'll protect you if Aunt Buffy tries to." Wrapping her arms over the other girl's stomach, Tara gave the red-head a quick kiss on her cheek. "I won't let her hurt you."

"You guys won't get spanked if you just go to sleep and take your nap." Grabbing one of the blankets that lay draped around a nearby chair, Dawn unfolded it and wrapped it around the two children. "Ok? No spankings if you just sleep."

"Promise?" Looking up at the older girl with her green eyes full of hope, the red-headed girl tilted her head so that it was touching Tara's cheek.

"I promise." Offering the children one last smile, the younger Summers girl crossed the room and drew back the heavy curtains that adorned either side of the window. As the room grew darker, Willow whimpered slightly and pulled Tara closer to her.

"Aunt Dawn?" Saying the older girl's name just as she was about to leave, Willow kept her eyes closed tight. "Can you leave the door open? I don't like the dark."

"Yep. Sleep tight, Willow, sleep tight, Tara." As the older girl left the room, and the sound of her footsteps on the stairs echoed into the room, Willow opened her eyes and frowned at Tara.

"Sorry, I don't like the dark." Making her head fall deeper into the pillow, the red-headed child dropped her gaze away from the other girl. "You probably think I'm a big baby."

"No, I don't. I'll protect you from the dark." Smiling at the other girl, Tara leaned in and kissed the red-head's forehead before pulling her closer to where she was laying on the mattress. "Just like I'd protect you if Aunt Buffy tried to spank you."

"But she'd spank you too." Furrowing her brow as she felt confusion overtaking her mind, Willow stared back at the other girl as she opened her eyes.

"I'd tell her to spank me instead of you." Still smiling, the blonde child wrapped her arms around the girl in a hug. "I love you."

"I love you too, Tara." Giving a yawn as she finished her sentence, Willow closed her eyes and burrowed her head into the combination of Tara's arm and the pillow that the two of them were sharing. "I'm...just...sleepy..."

"I'm...not..." Yawning as she finished speaking, Tara began a struggle to keep her eyes open as she heard the other girl yawn again. "Stop yawning...you're making me...tired..."

"Sorry...can't...help..." Her words continuing to decrease in volume as she started to nod off, Willow moved her head once more in order to make herself more comfortable before she finally found herself unable to stay awake any longer, and finally drifted off to sleep. Seeing that the other girl had fallen asleep, Tara shook her head for a moment as an effort to keep herself awake. Her mind finally unable to stop itself from passing out, the blonde girl closed her eyes and fell asleep with the other child beside her.

* * *

"You're home early." Setting her somewhat worn copy of the first Harry Potter novel down onto the table next to her, Dawn smirked as she saw the two bags her sister was carrying. "More stuff for Willow and Tara?"

"Yeah." Setting the first bag down onto the floor, Buffy managed to struggle out of her coat while maintaining her grip on the second bag. "That and our dinner."

"The usual stuff then?" The younger girl asked as she started back onto her feet, her eyes still staring attentively at the other girl.

"Yeah. Not much that we can both cook after all. Even though you are still signed up to take that culinary class at school in the fall." Rolling her eyes as managed to wiggle her way out of the last sleeve, the Slayer retrieved the other bag and headed towards the kitchen with her sister in tow. Setting the full grocery bags down onto the counter, Buffy turned around as she heard her sister taking a seat at the island behind her. "Although I'm sure they won't mind microwave meals."

"After what they've been doing all day, I don't think they'll really care. They're probably hungry beyond belief."

"Why? Did they run around a lot?"

"Tons and tons." Rolling her eyes as she remembered the three straight hours that Tara and Willow had chased each other back and forth through the backyard, Dawn made a small snorting sound. "Willow wouldn't let Tara kiss her, so Tara chased her."

"Well, at least they had fun. Better than being trapped inside the house with you all day." Replying to the question in a playful tone, the blonde girl began to sort through the contents of the grocery bag. Watching the almost constant line of food related items being brought out of the bag, the younger Summers girl finally broke the chain of silence that had started to grow between her and her sister.

"So…you're really being serious about this?"

"Being serious about what?" Looking up momentarily from the things she had been sorting into various piles so that they would be easier to put away, Buffy looked upon the other girl with a slight confusion lining her expression. "Putting stuff away?"

"You know…keeping Willow and Tara like this for a while…"

"I guess so…" Nodding at her sister somewhat slowly, the Slayer shrugged her shoulders. "Why? Do you think I shouldn't be?"

"Nah, it's just…kinda seems like you're playing with someone's life, does that make any sense?"

"Maybe…I can't really explain it. This just seems…_right. _Granted, it seems that way in a weird 'I'm taking care of my friend and her girlfriend while they're kids' kinda way, but still, the weird point is still kinda there."

"They are kinda cute though." Shrugging her own shoulders, Dawn caught sight of something in the bag in front of her. "No way, you got them Lunchables?!"

"Yeah…what's the matter?" Her expression growing even more confused, Buffy waited somewhat anxiously for the other girl's response.

"Buffy, you _never _buy these." Reaching into the bag and pulling out one of the packages, the younger girl perked up her eyebrow as she held one of the packages in her hand for her older sister to see. "And you bought _ten _of them."

"They were on sale, and I thought Willow and Tara might like them…"

_"Ten. Of. Them."_ Setting the packages down, Dawn's slightly annoyed expression refused to waver for even the slightest of seconds. "Want me to venture a little deeper into that bag or the other one?"

"Alright, so maybe I splurged a little bit…" Meeting the younger girl's gaze, Buffy sighed. "Dawn, do you want to know why I'm taking this so seriously?"

"Humor me."

"I…I've been thinking about Mom a lot recently." Almost immediately, the Slayer saw the change that came over the other girl's entire expression as soon as she heard mention of their mother. "And I..I don't know…I kinda wanna know what she felt like when she had us…ya know?"

"You're telling me that you wanna be Willow and Tara's…_mom?" _Staring back at her older sister, the brunette girl fell silent as she tried to process the information she had just been told and make sense of it. "That's…a little weird…"

"You're not the one who feels like that, are you though?" Saying the sentence with absolutely no hostility to her voice, although the sentence seemingly was composed of it, Buffy sighed and closed her eyes. "I don't know. I just…I _want _to know, ya know? I mean, Mom had us for half of her life, and I just wanna know what was going through her mind that entire time that we were little."

"Granted that I'm still technically a year old." Saying the sentence with a tongue-in-cheek attitude, Dawn nevertheless offered her sister a smile. "Still, I guess I get what you're trying to say. Like you said, it's a little weird and strange, but I somewhat understand what you're trying to say."

"Well, that's a relief. Here I was thinking that I was gonna have you run out of the house wanting to tell the police or something."

"Why would I do that? It's not like you stole them out of somebody's house or off the street." Giving the other girl a small smile, Dawn heard the sound of something storming down the staircase echo into the room. Turning around in order to see if the culprits were who she was suspecting, the younger girl rolled her eyes.

"I thought I put you guys down for a nap..." She looked at the clock. "An hour ago..."

"Aunt Buffy's home!" Shouting out their answers at the same time, Willow and Tara immediately rushed for the recently arrived girl and wrap their arms around Buffy's legs in hugs. Smiling widely at the greeting, Buffy tried to kneel down onto one knee, but found the action unobtainable due to the pair of arms wrapped around either leg.

"Alright, guys, I'm glad to see that you missed me, but can I please move now?"

"Nope, you're not gonna go anywhere!" A smile of her own spread across her face, Willow only hugged the older girl tighter than she had before. "We missed you."

"Missed you, missed you, missed you." Echoing the other child's words, Tara likewise hugged Buffy's leg with all the force she could muster from her body.

"Yeah, forgot to mention that. They've turned into hug monsters." The two children's infectious smile spreading to her own face, Dawn laughed softly as she saw her sister's expression. "You want me to free you so you can start dinner?"

"What are we having, Aunt Buffy?" Looking up at the older girl with her bright green eyes, Willow finally relinquished her iron-grip on the girl's leg and took a step back. "We're hungry."

"She made me hungry." Nodding, Tara once again echoed the other girl's actions and took a step back in order to join the red-headed child.

"Something good, ok?" Finally able to kneel down onto her knee so that she could look at the two children at eye-level, Buffy smiled. "It'll make you full."

"You want me to get them into their pajamas while you're doing that?" Stepping around the island so that she was directly behind the two children, Dawn mimicked her sister and bent down onto her knees. "That would probably save us some time in that entire department later on."

"No, I'll do it later. I don't mind. You looked after them all day." Lifting her gaze from the two kids in front of her, Buffy rose back to her full height. "Guess I should get used to doing stuff around here."

* * *

As she continued to play with the food on her plate, Willow looked up and smiled at Tara from where the girl was seated beside Buffy across the table. Her eyes meeting the other child's gaze for what seemed like an endless array of minutes, she only looked away once she felt something gently nudge her on the shoulder. Turning her head so that she could address whoever or whatever was beside her, the red-headed child found herself confronted with a slightly annoyed glare from Dawn.

"Willow, come on, eat your food." Looking up from her own plate, Buffy remained silent as she observed the entire situation beginning to unfold across from her. "You're almost done."

"But I'm not hungry anymore, Aunt Dawn. I'm full."

"Can't you try to eat a couple more bites? Buffy made this just for you and Tara."

"Thank you, Aunt Buffy. I like it." Nodding as she smiled, Tara felt her smile become even wider as Buffy returned the gesture.

"You're welcome, Tara." Taking a bite of the food sitting on her own plate, the older girl continued to smile at the child until the girl turned her attention back to the other child sitting across from her.

"Aunt Dawn, pretty please? I'm full." Her voice's pitch still retaining its pleading tone, Willow set the fork down onto the plate in order to curl her fingers underneath her chin as she looked up at the older girl with a begging expression coming to her face.

"Dawn, she doesn't have to eat anymore if she doesn't want to. It's not like we're gonna force the food down her throat." Finally deciding to side with the red-head child instead of her sister, Buffy set her own fork down onto her plate. "If she's full, just let her be."

"But you made all of this-"

"What did I_ just_ say?" Strengthening her tone in order to show her sister that the end of the argument was at hand, the Slayer met the girl's eyes in order to ensure that she understood. Swallowing something that was in her mouth, Dawn nodded and pushed her chair back from the table, taking Willow's plate into her hand where it joined her own. As she headed for the counter, she gently set the china down into the sink before turning and seeing that Tara had walked around the table in order to take the now open seat beside Willow.

"Ok, I guess we're playing magical chairs now." She said sarcastically before taking Tara's former seat beside Buffy.

"So…what did you two do today while I was gone?" Casting her gaze at the two children now sitting across from her, Buffy offered both of them a small smile in order to show that it was an honest question, and that there was no bad natured intent behind it.

"Tara tried to kiss me. And she chased me through the yard." Replying to the older girl's question with a fake pout on her lips, Willow knew that Tara was looking at her. "And then she wouldn't stop giving me cooties."

"Willow almost made me pee my pants. Ask Aunt Dawn!" Answering the other child's accusation with one of her own, Tara's tone held its own sarcastic sound to it, although the way she spoke the words made them seem entirely serious.

"Were you two bad for Dawn? Is that what you're trying to tell me?" Eyeing the two girls somewhat curiously, Buffy suppressed a chuckle as she saw the almost instant reaction Willow and Tara had to her comment.

"No, we were good, Aunt Buffy, we promise!" Nodding as she let Tara talk, Willow's green eyes showed the faintest glint of true fear as she tried her best to look entirely innocent.

"Alright, if you say…remember what I said happens to bad Witches?"

"We do." Nodding again, the blonde child reached under the table in order to take Willow's hand into her own. "We were good, I promise."

"Ok, then. I believe you." Turning her head towards Dawn, Buffy smiled at her sister. "Are they lying? Were they really good?"

"They were good. Apart from the whole becoming hug monsters thing." Shrugging her shoulders, the younger Summers girl looked at the two children staring attentively back at her, their lips effectively sealed as they listened. "Other than that, nothing to report."

"See, we were good." Nodding somewhat frantically, Willow gripped Tara's hand a little tighter. "We weren't bad, not in any way, Aunt Buffy. We wouldn't do that, because you said you'd spank us if we're bad, and that isn't a nice thing, it hurts, and I don't wanna have to hurt and stand in the corner while Tara hurts, don't make us do that!"

Finally unable to hold in her chuckle, Buffy smiled at the babbling child, and stared in to her frightful green eyes.

"I won't. You were good, and that's all that matters. No need to get a case of the wiggins over it." As she saw the two children stare back at her with strange looks adorning their expressions, the Slayer chuckled some more before closing her eyes in order to compose herself. "Nevermind. Just don't get worried about it, ok?"

"Ok." Nodding at preciously the same time, Willow and Tara continued to look at the two girls sitting across from them.

"Buffy, it's nine o'clock. Don't you think you should get them off to bed? Motherly instinct and all that." Nudging her sister on the shoulder, Dawn chuckled as she returned to her feet in order to avoid any kind of retaliation from the older girl. "I'm gonna go back to reading."

"Dawn-" Buffy started, but as the other girl left the room, the retort died on her tongue. Turning her vision back onto the two children still sitting quietly in their chairs, she sighed and rose to her feet. "Well, I guess we'd better get you two to bed."

"Are you ok, Aunt Buffy?" Able to notice the sad expression the girl was beginning to take on, Tara frowned as Buffy made her way around the table and came to a stop behind both her and Willow's chairs.

"Yeah, are you ok?" Repeating the other child's question, Willow gazed up at the older girl with her bright green irises.

"I'm fine, come on, upstairs, you two." Giving a small tap atop the two chairs, Buffy smirked slightly as she watched the two children slip under the table before rushing out of the room and up the stairs, their minds engaged in an imaginary chase scene that had come to the both of them seemingly on whim alone. Watching them leave, Buffy felt a small smile come to her face as she heard the sound of the two girl's feet on the wooden stairs and eventually the floor above her. Hearing Dawn snort from the connecting living room, she took a few steps out in to the hall, and looked into said room.

"Something funny?"

"They're just like little kids."

"Dawnie, there _are _little kids." Rolling her eyes at her sister's comment, Buffy leaned against the doorway. "Can you make sure no-one comes in the house while I'm upstairs with them? I think the less people that know what they did, the better. Strictly a need-to-know basis."

"Alrighty, I can do that. Want me to do a spell to protect the house too?" The younger girl sarcastically replied before burying her eyes back into her weathered book. Resisting the urge to reply to the girl's comment, Buffy turned and headed up the stairs after Willow and Tara, the sound of the two children running around in the hallway still echoing loudly through the rest of the house.

* * *

"Come on, Willow, just hold still for a moment." Refusing to let some of the frustration she was feeling sink into her voice, Buffy mentally breathed a sigh of relief as she finally managed to pull the remainder of the red-head's pajama top down around her chest and stomach. "You have to go to bed. You're gonna pass out otherwise."

"But Aunt Buffy-" The child started before she saw the glare that the older girl was giving her, and fell silent.

"The only' but' I want to hear or see is yours getting into bed, clear?" She said, managing to soften her tone somewhat from its stern sound.

"Crystal, Aunt Buffy." Nodding as her green eye's gaze dropped away to the floor, Willow started to play with her fingers in an attempt to avoid looking at the other girl. Seeing that her words were having an adverse effect on the child, Buffy reached out and laid her finger underneath the girl's chin, and gently lifted it until she could once again meet the girl's eyes.

"I'm not mad, ok?" Offering a smile along with her words, the Slayer saw the child nod slightly. "It's late, I'm going out to…'work'…and you need to get to bed."

"Where are you going to work, Aunt Buffy? We haven't seen you all day." Frowning, the red-head laid her hands atop the other girl's larger hand. "We missed you."

"I'm going to make you two safe, ok? I make everyone safe. And it's something I'm meant to do. Whether I like it or not." As the words flowed out of her mouth, Buffy's gaze drifted away from the child in front of her while her brain continued with the line of thinking that it had started upon. "Because that's why I'm here. To make sure everyone's safe."

"I love you, Aunt Buffy." Her frown growing deeper, Willow looked up at the other girl and her green eyes locked with Buffy's, and refused to move away. "Don't be sad. Tara loves you too."

"I'm glad." Finally managing to smile at the child's comment, the Slayer pulled the red-head to her in a hug. Managing to wrap her arms around the older girl's neck as best she could, Willow smiled and buried her head in the Slayer's shoulder. Remaining locked in the friendly embrace for a few minutes, the older girl finally pulled away as she rose back to her full height. "Ok, off to bed."

"Ok." Lifting her arms up as she stared up at the older girl, Willow smiled. "Can you carry me?"

"Yes I can." Bending down so that she could pick the child up, Buffy found herself smiling even wider as she felt the red-headed girl wrap her small arms around her neck. Placing her hand against the small of the girl's back in order to insure that she wouldn't be dangling, the Slayer slowly walked out of the room and ventured into the adjoining bedroom. Seeing that Tara was already underneath the comforter playing with a small stuffed animal that had obviously been somewhere in the room, she set Willow down next to the other child, and pulled the comforter over top of her.

"You seem like you're happy, Tara." Seeing the small smile that adorned the blonde child's face, Buffy knelt down beside the bed and watched as the child turned her head and looked at her.

"Yep." Closing her eyes as she smiled widely, Tara pressed the stuffed animal to her chest. "And I can snuggle with Willow now too!"

"Not if you can't find me!" Hiding her face underneath the comforter, Willow smiled as she felt Tara's hand searching around on the top of the mattress covering her.

"Yes I can! You're right here!" Pushing herself onto all fours, Tara giggled as she laid on top of the other child, and felt the girl trying to squirm out of her grip from underneath the comforter that surrounded her. "And I'm not ever gonna let you go!"

"Aunt Buffy, help!"

"I don't know, I'm content to just stand here and watch." Smiling from where she was still kneeling beside, Buffy chuckled as she heard Willow's continued playful cries for help as the other child refused to move off of her.

"You're mine!" Pulling the comforter back slightly so that she could see the red-head's face, Tara made the best 'monster' expression that she could muster on whim and held her hands at the side of her head as if they were claws._ "RAWR!"_

"Aunt Buffy, save me!" Resuming her squirming with renewed strength, the red-head finally managed to squirm out before falling off the mattress completely and landing in Buffy's lap.

"There, happy?" Looking down at the girl as she picked her up underneath her arms and gently returned her to the bed, Buffy smiled. "No more monsters, ok? You two _need _to go to sleep."

"Ok." Pushing her lips out into a pout, Tara scootched herself over so that Willow would be able to lay down comfortably next to her.

"Will you be home when we wake up?" Willow asked as she continued to look at the older girl kneeling beside her.

"Yep. I'll be right here when you wake up. We'll have breakfast together, ok?" Reaching out in order to ruffle the child's red-hair slightly, the Slayer pushed herself back up to her full-height, her gaze still resting on the two children lying on the bed. "I promise."

"Night, Aunt Buffy." Tara said, sinking further into the comforter as she bid the older girl farewell for the night. Her green eyes eagerly watching the Slayer, Willow managed to smile, although it apparently was laced with sadness.

"Nighty night, Aunt Buffy. I'll miss you." She said, her tone laced with the same twinge of sadness that showed in her expression.

"I'll be back, Willow, I promise." Leaning down in order to give the younger girl a small kiss on her forehead, Buffy smiled and turned towards the door, remembering to leave the object slightly open so that light from the bulb outside in the hallway would shine through into the room. Now laying in the near dark, Willow and Tara were largely silent until the red-head emitted a small whimper.

"I miss Aunt Buffy." She said as she turned over onto her opposite side so that she could look Tara in her blue eyes. "I want her back."

"She just left, Willow." Frowning at the other child's comments, Tara reached out and laid her hand on the girl's own limb.

"But she's supposed to protect us. She said that's her job."

"I'll protect you, Willow. I promise." Making a smile come to her face, the blonde-haired child leaned in and gave the other girl a small kiss on her forehead. Her actions making a smile coming to the red-head's face, Tara giggled slightly. "We're gonna be together forever, remember?"

"I remember. Forever and ever and ever." Nodding at the girl's question, Willow entwined her small fingers with the other child's own, and smiled even wider than she had before. "We're gonna do lots of stuff tomorrow, ok? I wanna go exploring."

"Ok." Giggling again as she voiced her response, the blonde-haired child nodded. "We're gonna be explorers."

"Yep!" Snuggling her head deeper into the soft pillow that lay beneath her head, Willow closed her eyes and sighed happily. "Night, Tara."

"Night, Willow." Voicing her own 'farewell' to the girl lying beside her, Tara closed her eyes and started to drift off to sleep, her fingers still lying entwined with Willow's own, a small spark coursing out through her body as she felt the world slip away around her.


	3. Morning

**Chapter 2**

"So, out for a fancy little midnight walk then, luv?" Stepping out from his shelter in the shadows of a towering crypt, Spike almost had to laugh at the way the Slayer actually jumped somewhat from hearing his voice. It had been a slow Summer after all, if the girl had actually forgotten his voice somewhat. "Couldn't imagine what would be lurking out there for the Slayer who took down a Hell-God. Even the lower and stupid demons gonna have some respect for you after that."

"Great, and now you're here to instill some more annoyance into my life, aren't you?" Rolling her eyes as she came to a stop a few feet from the approaching vampire, Buffy crossed her arms over her chest. "That's what you're best at, isn't it, Spike?"

"Would appear so. Works on you, doesn't it, Slayer?" Taking a long drag of the lit cigarette he held between his lips, Spike laughed. "Been successful at it for…a year now, is it? Bloody well lose track of time when you've got nothing to worry about killing you."

"Except a splinter to your heart, or a sword through your neck." Perking up her eyebrow as she responded to the vampire, the Slayer mentally plotted a course around the chipped vampire and continued on her way through the cemetery.

"So, heard that Big Red and Blondie aren't so big anymore." Pulling the lighted cigarette out of his mouth and tossing it to the ground, Spike smiled venomously at Buffy as he saw her stop dead in her tracks. "Got turned into little bits, did they? Running around the house screaming and laughing at things that don't sit well with anyone normal?"

"I don't know what you're taking about." Turning away while managing to keep the shock she felt from flooding into either her expression or her voice, Buffy nevertheless actually felt her heart-beat beginning to increase in speed and intensity. How much did Spike know about Willow and Tara? _How _did he know about Willow and Tara? The questions continued to repeat over and over again in her head as she forced her feet to turn herself around in order to face the vampire.

"Actually that's not all I've heard through the little Hellmouth grape-vine we've got going here. Something about a certain Slayer decided that she wanted to play mother bear to these little bits." Stamping out the dying cigarette with his boot, the blonde vampire started towards the Slayer once more as the girl held to her ground. "Ring any kind of bell for you? Cause it's ringing a bleeding gong for me."

"And what if it does, Spike? What can you gain out of all this, except some kind of twisted, undead amusement?" Unknowingly letting her anger sink into her voice as she answered the vampire, Buffy glared at the demon as if she could simply destroy him with a simple glance.

"So, since you're getting defensive about the entire thing, I'm gonna go out on a royal limb and say it's true then." Smiling, Spike stopped in his tracks with only a few feet remaining between himself and the Slayer. "Slayer went and decided to become a Mother Bear to some Little Bits."

"Spike, don't go near them. If you do, I swear I will stake you."

"Starting to get big with threats, eh, Slayer?" Leaning back against one of the taller tombstones that surrounded him, the vampire continued to smile amusingly. "Seems like something a Big Bit would do to protect Little Bits."

"Go home, Spike, and maybe I won't come find you and stake you later."

"Still wanting to play the cat and mouse game then, luv? Not surprised really."

"Spike, _stop._ I told you. Me and you? Will _never _happen." Walking past the blonde vampire, Buffy scuffed at the entire idea of the two of them in any kind of romantic entanglement. "So go home."

"Happy Slaying then, Slayer. Might very well find something that might be beyond your power to defeat, and then you'll come running back to the Big Bad. Just like always." Turning his head away after spending a single moment's time watching Buffy leave, Spike pulled another cigarette out of his duster and shoved it into his mouth before lighting it. "Way it bloody well works around here."

* * *

As she turned over onto her opposite side, Willow furrowed her brow as she heard a whimpering close to her ears. In her half-awake state, she could hear the sound continuing on without any foreseeable end in sight. Both she and Tara had been asleep for almost an hour now, and although her sleep was calm, she still found herself unable to stay in that state for any extended amount of time.

"Tara?" Opening her green eyes as she struggled to see the other girl in the extremely dim lighting of the room, the red-headed child frowned. "Tara, wake up."

"_I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Mommy, I'm sorry…" _ Shaking her head as she continued to whimper in her sleep, Tara pulled her legs up to her chest as if doing so would protect her from her dream. _"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, sorry, sorry…"_

"Tara, you're having a bad dream, wake up." Still shaking the other child's shoulder, Willow scootched herself closer to the girl until she was able to hold the child in a hug. "Wake up…"

"I'm sorry…" Finally starting to stir, Tara slowly opened her blue eyes, the sight of tears already starting to well up in them confronting Willow as she looked on. "Willow?"

"Did you have a bad dream, Tara?" Still hugging the other child warmly, the red-head looked curiously at the girl, noticing the way that there were tears now threatening to fall down otherwise dry and warm cheeks. "You look sad."

"I miss my Mommy." Nodding in response to the other girl's question, Tara sniffled slightly in a vain attempt to stop the tears.

"Where is she, Tara?"

"She went to Heaven…" Shaking her head, the blonde haired child felt the first tear gently and swiftly roll down her cheek until it reached her chin. "I miss her."

"I'm sorry you miss your Mommy, Tara." Her frown deepening as she saw the girl starting to cry, Willow leaned forward and pressed her lips against the other child's forehead. "I miss my Mommy too."

"I miss her so much." Closing her tear-stained eyes, Tara buried her head into the other girl's pajama clad shoulder. "I want her back…"

"I'm sorry, Tara." Gently laying her hand against the crying girl's head, Willow closed her eyes. "I still love you."

* * *

As the first rays of the rising sun peeked their way into the room and scattered across every corner of the room that they could infiltrate, Willow groaned slightly in her childish voice, and buried her head deeper into the combination of arm and pillow beneath her. Everything around her felt warm, soft, and safe. Her pajamas, the sheets, the pillow, the comforter, Tara's arm, all of it made her feel safe and welcome. From where she lay in her half-asleep state, nothing could even think of harming her.

"Willow, Tara?" Hearing a soft voice whisper as it entered the room, the red-head groaned again and pulled the comforter over her face. The voice didn't repeat itself, although the somewhat gentle sounds of footsteps replaced them. Beginning to stir from her golden slumber, Tara opened her blue eyes slowly before closing them again.

"Willow, it's too early to be an explorer." Burying her head deeper into the inviting pillow that held her head, the blonde-haired child frowned in her sleep. "Let me sleep."

"I wanna sleep too." Likewise burying her head, Willow pulled her hand to her face, managing to bring the other child's still entwined digits with her. As she felt the girl's warm fingers touching her skin, the red-head smiled. "Tarahand."

"Guys, come on. Up and at 'em." Gently giving the closest child a shake, Buffy almost laughed as she heard both of the girls groan.

"Too early…" Shaking her head, Willow buried her head even further into the bed beneath her, managing to pull the comforter fully over both herself and Tara. Watching the entire scene with a small sense of amusement, the Slayer bent down onto her knees for a moment in order to look at the peaceful faces sleeping in front of her.

"Come on, guys, time to get up." Pulling the comforter back from where it lay covering the two children, Buffy smiled as she heard more groans and whines of wanting to sleep. "It's almost eleven in the afternoon. You've gotta get up."

"Too…early…Aunt Buffy…" Shaking her head slowly while keeping her eyes effectively shut out against the world, Willow curled herself around the other child lying beside her. "Wanna sleep…"

"You've slept enough, come on." Leaning down and gently managing to disconnect the red-headed child from the other girl lying next to her, Buffy lifted Willow off of the bed and into her arms. Still able to interpret where she was, the child wrapped her arms and legs around the older girl's neck and waist, burying her head into the Slayer's shoulder as she continued to try and drift back to sleep.

"Tara, wake up." Nudging the blonde-haired girl gently with her free hand, Buffy smiled slightly as she saw a pair of blue eyes sleepishly looking up at her.

"Aunt Buffy?" Her mind already beginning to fully wake her up, Tara squirmed slightly where she laying. "Is it morning already?"

"Yes, it's time to get up." Nodding, Buffy readjusted how Willow was laying against her shoulder. "Do you want me to carry you, or can you walk downstairs?"

"I want carried. Me and Willow are supposed to be together." Yawning, the child pushed herself into a sitting position before crawling to the end of the bed. Holding her arms out in order for the older girl to have an easier time picking her up, Tara waited patiently until Buffy had leaned down enough that she could pick the child up. Returning to her full height with both of the pajama clad children in her hand, the Slayer turned her head in order to look at the head of red-hair sleeping on her shoulder.

"Willow, wake up." Gently nudging the child she was holding with her shoulder, the Slayer heard a yawn part from the girl's lips before she snuggled her head back into her shoulder.

"Too tired…"

"Willow, wake up. It's time to eat breakfast." Reaching over and tugging on the sleeve of the pink pajama top that the other child was wearing, Tara frowned. "Wake up."

"Tara…" Saying the child's name with a groggy voice, the red-head nevertheless kept her body completely still. "Too sleepy…"

"Guess we'll just let her sleep for a while longer." Moving to the side so that she could lay the red-head back down onto the bed, Buffy felt a smile come to her face as she saw the child curl herself back into her preferred sleeping position. Awkwardly pulling the comforter over the girl with one hand, the Slayer shifted the child she was still holding into a more comfortable holding position and quietly headed for the door. As she pulled the door shut behind her, she looked down at the girl she was holding and smiled.

"So, how did you sleep?"

"Good." Nodding as she gave a small yawn, Tara frowned at the older girl. "I had a bad dream though."

"Oh?" Stopping in her tracks, Buffy looked down at the younger girl. "I'm sorry."

"It was about my Mommy. I miss her." As her expression took on a sad quality to it, the emotion overtaking her eyes, the child pushed some of her messy hair out of her face. "She's my angel."

"I'm so sorry, Tara." Resting one of her hands against the child's head as the girl laid against her shoulder, the Slayer frowned deeply. "My Mommy's in Heaven too."

"Is she your angel?" Looking up at the girl's face as best she could, Tara's expression remained the same.

"Yep." Resuming her path downstairs, Buffy closed her eyes for a moment in order to vanquish the frown on her face.

"I had a pretty dream about me and Willow too." Lifting her head, the blonde child smiled slightly. "We were married, and we had babies."

"Is that so?" Starting down the stairs with the girl still held in her hands, Buffy could already hear Dawn moving things around in the kitchen, the sound of bowls and cups being set down onto the table in the connecting room echoing through portions of the house. "I'm sure it was nice."

"It was." Nodding again, the blonde-child laid her head down against the older girl's shoulder, and sighed happily. "I'm glad you're back."

"Did you and Willow miss me?"

"Willow did. She looked sad." Giving another nod, Tara closed her eyes. "She's really tired."

"I could tell." Chuckling, Buffy stepped down from the last step and walked into the connected dining room. "She must have been in love with what she was dreaming about."

"What do you think that was?"

"It was probably you." Smiling widely at the child, Buffy could see Dawn working somewhat feverishly in the connected kitchen, the sight of cups, glasses, and bowels being set down accompanying the sound of cereal and liquid being poured into the former containers.

"Aunt Buffy, can I ask you a question?" Looking up at the older girl that was holding her, Tara gazed into the Slayer's green eyes with her own pair of blue irises.

"What's that?" Easing herself down into one of the nearby chairs that surrounded the dining table, Buffy waited for the child's question.

"What do you do at night when we're asleep? Willow said you keep people safe." Her blue pajama clad body still resting against the other girl's chest, Tara waited somewhat patiently for an answer. As she looked down at the child in her lap, Buffy's mind struggled to find or word a proper answer that she could tell the girl without confusing her or going over her head. Taking a deep breath as her chain of thought finally reached something that she thought would work as a response, the Slayer closed her eyes before reopening them a moment's later in order to gaze down into the child's bright blue irises.

"I help people. I make people safe." Somewhat satisfied with the simplicity of her answer, Buffy could feel the girl's smaller hand resting against her stomach, the tiny digits rubbing her slightly. "And I do it every night."

"So you're like a superhero?" Still gazing up at the Slayer's face, Tara's lips morphed into a small, sideways grin. "Like Wonder Woman?"

"Sorta. Although I'd kinda like to have the golden lasso and all that." Shrugging her shoulders, Buffy almost felt like chuckling at the child's comparison. "Beggars can't be choosers."

"Here's your breakfast, Tara." Walking into the room while juggling a full bowl of cereal and a cup of milk in both of her hands, Dawn somehow managed to make it to table without spilling so much as a single drop. Setting the breakfast down onto the table in front of her sister and Tara, the younger Summers girl smiled widely. "Tada!"

"Yay!" Clapping her hands together as she saw the older girl's bright smile, the child summoned a smile of her own.

"Thank you, I'll be here all week."

"Sadly." Replying to her sister's exclamation with a voice dripping with sarcasm, Buffy nevertheless grinned as she said the word. Rolling her eyes at her sister's comment, Dawn redirected her attention on the older girl.

"Somebody's a little jealous."

"Of what?" Snorting as she heard what the other girl was trying to imply, the Slayer heard Tara giggling in her lap. "Dawn, come on, I think Tara could have done that."

"Tara's not allowed to touch the glasses, remember? Glasses and kids a bad idea?" Perking up her eyebrow as she pointed out something that her sister had said the previous night, Dawn smiled. "That's why you went out and bought them the plastic ones?"

"Would you want to clean up broken glass?" Replying to her sister with an equal amount of sarcasm drenching her voice, the Slayer smiled. "Didn't think so."

"Aunt Buffy? Aunt Dawn? Tara?" As the unmistakable sound of Willow's voice echoed into the room, all the heads within turned towards the connected room and staircase.

"Well, look who finally decided to wake up." Grinning ear-to-ear as she watched the red-head child sleepishly stumble into the room, Buffy likewise continued to grin as Tara jumped down from her lap and rushed towards the other girl. As she finally reached where Willow was standing, the child wrapped her arms around her in a warm hug. Observing the scene for just a moment more, Buffy left the room and entered the kitchen where her sister was still preparing things.

"Morning, Willow!" She exclaimed happily as she planted her lips against the other child's cheeks. Her mind finally able to recognize the attention she was getting, Willow returned the hug and a smile grew to her face.

"Morning, Tara. I missed you." Still smiling, Willow wrapped her arms around the other child and returned the hug she was being given. "I woke up and I couldn't find you."

"Aunt Buffy tried to wake you up, but you were too sleepy. She put you back in bed." Pulling away from the other child, Tara's arms fell back to her sides before she reached out and took the girl's hand into her own. "You were really, really sleepy."

"I was?" Furrowing her brow as she heard the other girl's statement, the red-head took a few steps towards the table with Tara in tow. "I don't remember."

"Because you were sleepy, that's why!" Giggling, Tara planted her lips against the other child's cheek once more, earning another smile from the red-head. "You need to stop being sleepy, we're supposed to be explorers today, remember? You can't be a sleepy explorer!"

"I remember. I wanted to have lots and lots of rest, ok? I don't want monster Tara to come back."

"Ok. Don't let it happen again." Wagging her finger playfully, Tara let go of the other girl's hand in order to pull herself up onto the chair that had been occupied a few minutes earlier. Taking a seat beside her, Willow smiled and reached out in order to take hold of Tarahand once more. Reentering the room with a bowl of cereal and a cup of orange-juice in her hands, Buffy's face broke out into a grin as she sat the two objects down on the table in front of the red-headed child.

"Morning, Willow. Here you go, lots of cereal and orange-juice-y goodness."

"Thank you, Aunt Buffy." Taking the spoon that sat along the edge of the bowl, Willow took a large mouthful of the cereal, and promptly shoved the food into her mouth. Swallowing the food even though she had barely chewed the cereal, her lips resumed their smile. "Good morning."

"Chew your food, Willow. You'll choke." Taking a seat across from the two children, Buffy sipped at the bottle of water that she had brought out for herself.

"Sorry. I wanna play with Tara."

"You can do that after you eat…and get dressed." Making a false grimace at the state of the children's hair, although it was more so with the red-head than with Tara, the Slayer managed to swallow a chuckle. "You've got a monster case of bed head."

"I do?" Her hands flying to her red tresses, Willow looked at Tara. "Do I?"

"It looks kinda funny." Giggling, Tara covered her mouth with her hand as the other child looked on with a horrified expression. "It's sticking up everywhere."

"Aunt Buffy, can you fix it?" Turning her gaze on the older girl, the red-headed girl frowned. "I don't wanna have weird hair."

"Just finish eating. I'll give you a bath once you're done. The same goes for you, Tara."

"My hair isn't messy though." Holding up one of her pig-tails, Tara smiled. "Willow's hair is funny looking."

"So does yours!" Reaching out, Willow ruffled up the other girl's hair quickly, giggling the entire time that she did so. Watching the entire scene, Buffy sighed and playfully rolled her eyes as she looked up at the ceiling, although she seemed to be looking at something entire entirely.

"This is how it was with me and Dawn, wasn't it, Mom?"

'You say something, Buffy?" Walking into the room with a glass of orange juice in her hands, Dawn eyed the Slayer somewhat suspiciously. "Don't tell me you're gonna start talking to yourself. They say that's the first sign of insanity."

"And they also say that a person's surroundings are also a trigger of that." Smiling back at the younger girl, Buffy leaned back into her chair. "And knowing you, I guess that's true."

"Somebody's a sarcastic Slayer today." Snorting in response to her sister's sarcasm, Dawn took another gulp of her drink before setting the glass down onto the table as she sat down. "Still, you look happier than I've seen you be in a while."

"Oh, I didn't notice." As she looked at the two children continuing to alternate between eating the cereal in front of them and toying with each other, Buffy's mind forced her back to the present as she remembered what she had heard from Spike on their midnight run-in. "You wanna explain to me why you told Spike about Willow and Tara?"

"He came by looking for you, and Willow answered the door." Shrugging her shoulders, Dawn avoided meeting her sister's gaze. "Kinda hard not to tell him after that happens."

"I thought I told you to keep the doors locked though."

"She got to the door before I could. She runs fast." Smiling as she gave her answer, the younger Summers girl watched as Willow shoved her spoon into Tara's bowl and took a large mouthful of the cereal out of it, much to the other child's disapproval. "They both do."

"You could have stopped her."

"No I couldn't. Does it really matter? It's Spike. What's he gonna do about it?" Finally forcing herself to turn and look into the Slayer's eyes, Dawn grinned slightly. "He's chipped, remember? And besides, he likes Willow and Tara. He told me so."

"He's still a vampire, Dawn. Granted, he's a neutered one, but he's still a vampire. I don't want him around Willow and Tara while they're like this."

"Somebody's being a protective mother."

"Dawn…" Starting to retort, Buffy stopped herself before she continued with the line. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath before opening her green eyes once more and reaching across the table to grab her water bottle. "Whatever. Just don't let him in, ok?"

"Alright, whatever." Somewhat surprised at the calm that had washed over her sister, Dawn pushed herself away from the table and headed back into the kitchen. "I'm gonna grab a bowl of cereal, do you want anything?"

"I'm fine." Smiling as she saw Willow swallow the last bit of cereal in her bowl, Buffy almost lost herself completely in her own thoughts. "I'm just gonna give Willow and Tara a bath, and then go to work. You need anything while I'm out?"

"Nah, I'm good. Guess I'm babysitting again?" Yelling out her answer from where she continued to stand in the kitchen, Dawn grinned slightly as she heard the two children's laughter echo from the connecting room.

"Yep. Unless you want me to pay someone to watch you too." Buffy replied, her tone noticeably tongue-in-cheek. "'Cause I can do that."

"I'm fifteen. I don't need a babysitter."

"That's what you keep saying." Deciding to put an end to the playfully banter between her sister and herself, Buffy pushed herself away from the table and got back onto her feet. "Alright, come on guys, upstairs."

"Are you gonna fix my hair? I don't like it looking fun when I can't see it." Looking up at the older girl, Willow frowned somewhat. "Tara's looks better than mine."

"She also slept in pig-tails. Don't you think that might have something to do with it?"

"I don't care. I don't wanna have messy hair." Shaking her head while she pouted, the red-head saw and heard Tara giggling in response.

"She's jealous." Responding the other child's statement with laughter and a smile, Tara hopped down from her chair and wrapped her arms around the red-head. "I still love you, Willow. Even if your hair is funny looking."


	4. The Trouble With Donuts

**Chapter 3**

"Willow, are you sure we're not lost?" As she pushed aside part of the bush that she and the other child were huddled behind, Tara frowned. "We haven't found the treasure yet."

"We're not lost! We're explorers, remember? We don't get lost!" Looking down at the hastily drawn map that she had created, Willow's lips formed their own frown. "We're just not where we want to be."

"Doesn't that mean lost?" Peeking at the map over the other child's shoulder, Tara continued to frown, her lips showing no sign of changing their 'expression'. "We're not lost are we?"

"No, we're not! We're just…" Stopping in mid-sentence as she looked at the piece of paper in her hand, the red-headed girl sighed. "We're lost."

Shoving the map back into her pocket, Willow sighed once more before taking a few steps out of the bush that she and the other child had been standing behind. Sniggering slightly, the blonde child took a few cautious steps behind the other girl, her expression extremely devious.

"Tara, what's wrong?" Turning around as she heard the girl emit a small growl, Willow's green eyes grew large as she saw and felt the other child tackle her to the ground.

"I'm a monster! I've been waiting for you the whole time!" Looking down at the girl she had somewhat gently tackled down to the ground, Tara smiled widely. "Now there's no escape!"

"No, no, _traitor!"_ Giggling despite the 'seriousness' of the situation she was in, the red-head squirmed as the other child continued to lay on top of her. "Let me go!"

_"NEVER!_ You're all mine!" Pressing her lips to the other girl's cheeks again and again, Tara smiled as she heard the red-head giggling underneath her. "I got my prisoner back!"

_"Help me!"_ Still squirming in an attempt to get out from underneath the other girl, Willow continued to giggle loudly. "She's gonna tickle me!"

"That's a good idea." Laughing loudly in an exaggerated tone, the golden-haired girl snaked her arm underneath the other child's shirt and allowed her fingers to dance across the bare skin that lay underneath. Her giggling morphing into un-restrained laughter, Willow renewed her attempts to escape from the girl's grip.

"Tara, you're gonna make me pee, stop it!"

'I don't care, you're all mine!" Her fingers still refusing to cease their endless assault against the other child's stomach, Tara's face showed nothing but laughter and smiles. "You're all mine, and you're never gonna get free!"

"Somebody...help me!" Only partially managing to say the sentence from behind a fit of giggles, Willow continued to squirm, hoping that it would allow her to break free.

"Alrighty, we gotta break up the exploring party." Looking up from where she was still tickling the other child, Tara felt a small frown come to her face as she saw Buffy and Dawn approaching them. "Come on guys, we gotta go somewhere."

"_Awwww…" _Voicing the complaint at exactly the same time, Willow and Tara began to return to their feet, with the red-headed girl brushing some of the grass stains adorning her pants off of herself.

"But we're playing a game…"

"Tara, you were tickling Willow again, weren't you?" Furrowing her eyebrow questioningly, Buffy rested her hands on her hips. "Weren't you?"

"Yes, Aunt Buffy." Lowering her gaze to the ground, the fair-haired child bit down on her bottom lip nervously. "I'm sorry."

"I let her tickle me, Aunt Buffy, don't yell at her!" A childish version of her 'resolve face' coming to her expression, Willow took Tara's hand and pushed her behind her, effectively shielding the other child from the Slayer's gaze. "Don't _ever_ yell at her!"

"Willow, it's alright." Kneeling down onto her knees, Buffy almost found herself laughing at the somewhat absurdity of seeing a miniature version of the 'resolve face'. "I was only joking. I wasn't going to yell at Tara."

"You weren't?" Her expression softening somewhat, the red-headed girl began to frown. "Oh, I'm sorry, Aunt Buffy, don't be mad at me, I don't wanna be mad at, and that's not good-"

"It's ok, Willow." Giving the hand holding her own a squeeze, Tara smiled as she leaned forward and planted a small kiss on the girl's cheek. "Aunt Buffy was trying to be funny."

"Yep, that's me. I'm the funny gal."

"Ok…" Her 'resolve face' fully disappearing from her face, the girl let out the breath that she had partially been holding in order to make herself appear more threatening. "I'm sorry, Aunt Buffy."

"You really don't like it you think people might yell at Tara, don't you?"

"No." Shaking her head, Willow smiled somewhat from the kiss that Tara had given her. "She's my always. No-one ever gets to be mean and yell at my always."

"Awww…" Covering her mouth as she half-chuckled, half-awed at the declaration of love for Tara she had heard from the child, Dawn nevertheless took a step towards where the two children were still standing. "Come on, brats, we're going somewhere."

"Where are we going?" Letting go of Willow's hand as she saw Dawn come towards her, Tara raised her arms in order to aid the older girl in picking her up. Her green eyes watching as her girl was taken by Dawn, the red-head frowned, even as Buffy took her into her arms.

"Not gonna say, it's a surprise." Rolling her eyes playfully at the child's question, the younger Summers girl felt Tara wrap her small arms around her neck for support.

"Aunt Dawn, tell us where we're going." Looking at the older girl from where she lay in Buffy's arms, the red-head continued to frown. "Pretty please?"

"No, Willow, you'll know when we get there." Making their way around the side of the house, the four girls headed for the parked car sitting in the driveway.

"She said 'pretty please' though…" A frown of her own coming to her lips, Tara continued to look at Dawn even as she was being buckled into the car-seat by Buffy. "You should tell her, she asked nicely."

"Uh-uh, not gonna happen. It's gonna be a surprise whether you like it or not."

"But _why?"_ Still looking up at the older girl as Dawn buckled her into her own car seat in the vehicle, Willow swung her arm slightly where she had resumed holding hands with Tara.

"Willow, can you just please just enjoy the fact that we're going _somewhere?"_ Rolling her eyes slightly at the child's comment, the younger Summers girl finished pushing the buckle into place before returning to her full height. "Ok? It'll be a fun surprise."

"But where are we going? We're curious." Perking up, the fair-haired child smiled as she heard the other girl making a slightly frustrated sound.

"We're just going _somewhere!"_ Growling somewhat, Dawn shut the door and returned to her usual spot in the passenger seat in the front. Chuckling as she heard her sister's frustration, Buffy turned the keys in the ignition and the vehicle roared to life. As she backed out of the driveway, the Slayer frowned as she heard the station her sister had last set the radio to.

"Dawn, can we please not have NSYNC playing right now?"

"Why not?"

"Because some of us might_ not_ like them." Rolling her eyes as she heard the older girl's response, Dawn leaned forward and turned the dial until it finally picked up a different station. As the sounds of an alternative rock song came blasting through the speakers, she smiled and leaned back into the seat, closed her eyes, and let the song flow over her.

"Aunt Dawn?" Hearing Willow's voice echo up from the backseat, the older girl twisted her body until she could see the two children sitting in the back seat.

"What?"

"Can we know where we're going now?"

_"Willow…"_ Pushing out the girl's name through gritted teeth, the brunette could almost swear that the child was simply trying to anger her by now.

"Pretty please?" Folding her hands together, the red-head smiled. Joining her, Tara mimicked the gesture.

"With sugar on top?"

"We're going somewhere that you'll like." Turning around after delivering the vague explanation, Dawn smiled as she heard the two children groan and whine in complaints.

"_But Aunt Dawn…"_

"Willow, Tara, just stop. You'll know where we're going when we get there."

"But we want to know _now!_" Still pouting, Willow kicked the back of the older girl's seat, her mind momentarily unable to think of anything else to do. Watching helplessly from her car seat, Tara sighed.

"Aunt Dawn, Willow wants to know. You're making me sad by not telling her, I don't like seeing her upset."

"Dawn, just tell them. You're making them upset." Keeping her eyes focused on the road in front of her, Buffy still managed to reach over and slap her sister on the arm. "It won't hurt."

"Fine. We're going to the Magick Box, happy?"

"_Yay!"_ Upon hearing the girl's answer, Willow's green eyes lit up with happiness, her tantrum of moments earlier forgotten entirely. "I love Magick tricks."

"You're not gonna be doing any though." Turning around again, Dawn glared at the child. "Remember what happened when you tried to do tricks last week?"

"It left holes in the ceiling…" Looking down at the floor of the vehicle, the red-headed child felt Tara's hand toying with the bottom of her hair. "And I know I shouldn't do Magick anymore."

"I liked it when you did Magick tricks, Willow." Smiling, Tara reached over and awkwardly managed to hug the other girl despite her seatbelt and the car-seat holding her back somewhat. "You're special."

"Thank you, Tara." Returning the hug that the other girl had given her, Willow smiled and gave the blonde child a kiss on the cheek before she leaned back into her seat. "Tara likes it when I do Magick."

"Willow, you're not doing anymore. Not until we fix whatever you and Tara did. Clear?"

"Clear." Saying the word with a twinge of sadness to her tone, the red-headed child leaned fully back into her car-seat as she felt the other child's fingers continuing to move over her palm. Noticing the way the other child was frowning, Tara smiled and leaned over as far she could manage while being buckled into her seat and gave the girl a quick kiss on her cheek.

"I still like it when you do Magick, Willow. You're special. You're my special friend." Blushing slightly as she heard the other child's comment about her, Willow smiled somewhat nervously and let her gaze drop to the floor of the vehicle.

"Thank you, Tara, you're my always."

* * *

"I almost got it!" Continuing to jump up and down in an attempt to grab the volume she was seeking from the higher shelve, Willow's green eyes showed nothing but excitement to their hue. Watching attentively from her seat, Tara smiled, her own mind eager to see what information the book held within it's covers. Looking up from the book she was translating, Dawn smiled at the entire scene before attentively returning to the notebook she was scribbling in after peering at the ancient, dead language within the volume.

"I GOT IT!" Nearly losing her balance as her tiny fingers finally managed to gain a hold on the book's brittle leather spine, the red-headed child held the ancient volume close to her chest as she fell back onto her butt. A smile adorning her face, Willow set the book down onto her lap, and opened the cover. Her eyes barely having even glimpsed the first scene, Anya looked up from behind the counter, and upon seeing the volume Willow had in her tiny hands, her eyes lit up with shock.

"Willow, put the expensive Magick book down!" As she quickly crossed the sales floor, the vengeance demon grabbed the book from the child's hands and set it back onto the shelf.

"But I wanna read it!" Her voice rising in pitch as the book she had poured forth so much effort into getting was pushed back into place, Willow crossed her arms over her chest. "I wanna read it!"

"You don't need to read anything Magick related. That's why you're all small and tiny now, isn't it?" As she pushed the volume back into its place, Anya turned back towards where the red-headed child was still sitting with a pout on her face. "Besides, you didn't pay money to read it."

"Anya, she's a kid." Looking up from his seat, Xander couldn't help but laugh slightly at his fiancee's expression.

"Kid's parents or guardians have money!"

"But reading is important." Speaking up where she had been sitting at the table, Tara smiled at the former vengeance demon in an attempt to charm her into giving the book back to Willow. "Don't you want us to learn about stuff?"

"Not about things that you can use against any of us if you get angry!" Walking away from the two children, Anya returned to her seemingly permanent spot behind the counter and resumed counting the money that lay inside the cash register. Chuckling, Xander tossed down the book he had been reading onto the nearby pile and looked at where Tara was sitting across from him.

"Using the entire 'guilt trip' thing?" He asked, giving the child a smile as he saw that he had gained her attention. "Valid tactic, although I don't think it works on former vengeancey demon types."

"I wasn't trying to do that!" Defending herself, the blonde child scootched herself closer to Willow as the other child pulled herself onto the bench. "Willow wanted to read a book to me."

"I like to read to Tara, it makes her feel special." Nodding somewhat quickly, the red-headed child pushed her lips out into a pout. "And it had pretty pictures in it."

"Of what?" Dawn asked, tapping her pen against the open notebook in front of her.

"Spells and Witches." Smiling as she explained, the red-head child nodded quickly. "I like seeing Witchy stuff."

"And it's that stuff that turned you into children." Rolling her eyes playfully as she kept her eyes focused on the two children sitting close to her, Dawn dropped her pen onto her notebook as she smiled. "Am I right?"

"Aunt Dawn, tell Anya to let us read the book!" Tugging on the older girl's shirt, Willow continued to pout. "Pretty please?"

"If Anya said no, it's probably for a good reason…"

"No it wasn't! She's being mean and doesn't want me to see the pretty pictures!"

"There's depictions of demons having hot, naked sex in it. With lots and lots of blood all over them while they're in the throes of it. Xander and I learned a thing or do from thos-" Anya started before she saw the eyes at the table turning towards her and glaring as Willow and Tara looked on curiously. "What? I'm stating my reasons why they shouldn't read that book. Aren't they valid enough?"

"What's sex, Aunt Dawn? Is it like a color?" Looking up at the older girl with questioning green eyes, Willow heard Xander cough off to the side in an attempt to hide his amusement.

"I think maybe we should give them something to do." Pushing himself up onto his feet, the man rubbed his hands together, although the effect seemed to have a twinge of nervousness. "Um, how about donuts?"

"Can we get some?" Her expression perking up at the mention of the food, the red-headed child sprang to her feet and rushed towards the older Scooby. "Pretty please?"

"How could I say no to the idea of a tasty treat that comes in a circle form?"

* * *

"They feeling any better?" As Dawn somewhat quietly came down the stairs, she could see her sister coming out of the connecting dining room with two bowls of soup in her hands, the expression on the older girl's face a mix between an angry one and a concerned one. "Or should I take the offering of soup as a bad sign?"

"They aren't feeling any better." Stopping for a moment, Buffy rolled her eyes. "Remind me to kill Xander when I see him tomorrow."

"Not sure if I wanna remind you of that." Chuckling slightly at her own sarcasm, the younger Summers girl peered into the connected living room, and could just barely make out the sight of the two children curled up underneath a blanket with the nearby TV set showing what seemed to be an endless amount of cartoons. "They seem to be taking it alright."

"They were crying earlier. You couldn't hear it because you had your headphones on again." Perking up her eyebrow, the Slayer turned and walked into the living room, wanting to get rid of the relatively warm bowls she was holding.

"Hey, I was studying!" Leaning against the doorway as she followed her sister, Dawn watched as the older girl sat the two bowls down in front of Willow and Tara, her expression never once changing. "It helps me zone out. You know, typical teenager stuff."

"Are you guys ok?" Ignoring her sister, Buffy kneeled down beside the couch where the two children were still laying somewhat silently. As she saw a pair of green eyes open and stare at her, she sighed. "Or do your tummies still hurt?"

"My tummy hurts, Aunt Buffy. Tara's hurts too." Her tone noticeably low and full of slight pain, Willow closed her eyes again and nodded as she felt a larger hand push aside some of her red hair that was hanging in her face.

"I know. You guys had too many donuts. Too many isn't good for you." Rolling her eyes at the mention of what had occurred almost two hours earlier, the Slayer sighed. "I'm going to kill Xander tomorrow."

"Don't kill Uncle Xander please, Aunt Buffy." Lifting her head up slightly, Tara laid back down against Willow's arm as she pulled the blanket they had been covered up with overtop of herself. "We love him. He made sure that Aunt Anya wasn't mad at us."

"I know. Only kidding. No killing of Xanders tonight." Almost having to force herself to say the sentence, Buffy started to rise back to her full-height as she tugged on the blanket covering the two children slightly. "You guys are gonna have to go to bed after you're done eating."

"Ok…bed sounds good…" Opening her slightly dimmed green eyes as she slowly began to move out of the position she had been laying in, the red-headed child felt Tara refusing to get off of her arm. "Tara, we gotta get up now, Aunt Buffy brought us soup."

"Too tired…tummy hurts too much."

"Tara, get up, pretty please?"

"Are you alright, Tara?" Stopping abruptly in her exit from the room, Buffy focused her gaze on the golden-haired child still refusing to get off of Willow's arm.

"My tummy hurts really bad." Shaking her head in response to the Slayer's question, Tara finally managed to push herself off of the other child and into a sitting position. "I think I'm gonna be sick…"

"_Awww,_ Aunt Buffy, can you make Tara better? I don't like her being sick."

"Sorry, Wills, nothing I can do." Shaking her head, Buffy felt a small, sharp pain in her heart as she saw the immensely sad look on the red-head's face. "Just eat your soup, and then we'll get both of you off to bed."

Giving only a nod as her answer, Willow wrapped her arm around the other child's shoulder as the two of them slowly sat down onto the floor. Leaning her head against the red-head's shoulder, Tara closed her eyes for a moment before awkwardly reaching out and grabbing the spoon from where it sat on the rim of the bowl of soup. As she lifted the filled spoon to her mouth, the girl blew on it in an attempt to cool it down, and then it pushed it past her lips. Watching the entire scene, Willow smiled slightly although her upset stomach still refused to subside.

"Maybe your tummy will feel better once the nice soup gets inside it?" Only smiling in response to the other child's statement, Tara nodded once before taking another spoonful of the soup. Unsure of how to take the girl's response, the red-headed child went to work on her own bowl, eating somewhat slowly in order to avoid upsetting her stomach any further than it already was.

* * *

"Alrighty, up we go." Gently picking the red-head up underneath her arms, Buffy set the child down onto the bed, a noticeable look of discontent still a feature on both Willow and Tara's faces.

"My tummy still hurts." Sighing, Tara looked up at the older girl with her blue eyes noticeably filled with nausea. "Aunt Buffy, can you make it stop, pretty please?"

"With lots and lots of sugar on top?" Willow added to the girl's question.

"Sorry, Aunt Buffy's powers don't extend to that." Shaking her head with a slight amount of sadness to the gesture, the Slayer sighed. "Do you want me to get you some ginger-ale, Tara? That might help…"

Only giving a nod in response to the question that had been asked of her, the blonde-haired child closed her eyes as she snuggled closer to where Willow was laying.

"Can I have some too?" Her lips refusing to falter from the frown shape they had assumed an hour before, Willow entwined her fingers with Tara's as the other child's hand came to rest around her rib-cage. "I wanna have ginger-ale-y goodness."

"Alrighty, two glasses of ginger-ale coming up." Giving the two girls a small smile, Buffy turned and quickly left the room, not wanting to leave either Willow or Tara un-watched for any extended amount of time. Watching the older girl leave, Willow sighed.

"Willow, I don't like my tummy being upset." Shaking her head, Tara opened her slightly pain lined eyes, and stared at the head of red-hair in front of her. "It hurts…"

"I'm sorry, Tara." Turning over slightly even though the action made her stomach continue to do summersaults inside her, the red-headed child offered a small smile to the girl. "I wish I could make it better for you."

"I wish I could make yours feel better, too." Continuing to frown, Tara closed her blue-eyes, and breathed deeply. "We could have had more fun if they hadn't been hurting."

"Alrighty, here you girls go. Two cups of ginger-ale, just like you asked for." Stopping for a moment as she re-entered the room, Buffy waited as Tara slowly and sluggishly pushed herself into a sitting position before she handed her the cup. Somewhat eagerly taking the offered drink, the golden-haired child sipped at the contents of the cup, making sure that she wouldn't spill any of the liquid. Holding out her hands for her own cup, Willow smiled slightly as she was handed her drink.

"There, everyone happy now?" Kneeling back down beside the bed, the Slayer watched as Tara slowly handed the cup back to her, the liquid inside almost completely gone.

"Thank you, Aunt Buffy." Laying back down onto the bed beside Willow, Tara closed her blue eyes and sighed.

"Hopefully you'll feel better tomorrow, Tara." Reaching over and laying her hand against the child's forehead, the older girl was somewhat relieved to find that Tara showed no signs of a fever. "You don't like being sick, do you?"

"Nuh-uh." Shaking her head slightly, Tara burrowed deeper into the pillow cradling her head. "I can't play with Willow if I don't feel good."

"She likes playing games with me." Swallowing the last sip of her ginger-ale, the red-headed child handed the older girl her empty cup. "I don't like it when she's sick either."

"Well, the sooner you two go to sleep, I guarantee it that the sooner you'll feel better." Offering the two girls a genuine smile, Buffy rose back to her full height, the two empty cups in her hands. "Ok?"

"Ok." Nodding once, Tara remained almost entirely immobile from where she was laying.

"Ok, good night, Aunt Buffy." Sinking back into the comforter, Willow returned Buffy's smile, although her's was slightly weaker than the Slayer's. Leaning down, the older girl gave the red-head a small kiss on the forehead before turning towards the door. Turning off the light as she left, Buffy left the door open half a crack, just as was becoming part of the routine within her routine. Her eyes already closed, Willow felt Tara's hand creep over her ribs, her fingers searching for the red-head's hand. As her fingers found the digits she had been looking for, the golden-haired child entwined her fingers with the red-head's and scootched herself close until she was chest-to-back with the girl. Her eyes already closed, Tara gave one final sigh of content happiness before she began to feel her consciousness slipping away in the dark abyss known as sleep. Already on her way there as well, Willow gave the fingers wrapped around her own one final squeeze before her mind forced her to sleep.

* * *

"Aunt Buffy, Aunt Buffy!" As the two of them charged down the stairs and into the dining room, Willow and Tara's expression showed nothing but smiles.

"Ok, that's freaky…" Looking up from the glass of milk she had been pouring herself, Dawn's perked up her eyebrow questioningly. "How could they have been sick last night, and now they're all in a happy mood again?"

"They're kids, Dawn." Kneeling down as the two children ran towards her, Buffy summoned a smile to her face. "They make my Slayer powers look kinda weak."

"Aunt Buffy!" Holding out her arms as she came to a stop in front of the older girl, Willow's bright green eyes only added to her happy expression. "Our tummies don't hurt anymore!"

"I can see that." Her smile growing larger as she heard no trace of the pain that had been a part of the child's voice the night before, Buffy felt a pair of arms wrap around her neck. "And I guess you're feeling better too, Tara?"

"Yep!" A bright smile of her own lining her face, the child looked up at the older girl as she broke the hug. "The ginger ale you gave us made us feel better!"

"Still, I think a brief ban on donuts is in order." Tilting her head slightly as she continued to smile at the two children, Buffy started to rise back to her full height.

"We don't want any more ever." Shaking her head, the red-head frowned somewhat. "They made Tara's tummy hurt, so I don't ever wanna see them again."

"You don't have to do that, Willow." Pulling the other girl to her in a hug, Tara's expression had her trademark sideways grin upon it. "You can eat them if you want."

"They made you feel bad, I don't want anything that makes you feel bad." Her resolve face returning to her expression, the red-headed child nevertheless couldn't restrain herself from smiling slightly at the hug she was being given. "Can we have breakfast now, Aunt Buffy?"

As she heard the two children's question, Dawn chuckled slightly and opened the cupboard and began pulling out the things necessary to make the girls' breakfast.

"Alrighty, two cereal-y breakfasts coming up."


	5. Rain And Puddles

**Chapter 4**

"Aww, it's raining outside." Frowning as she looked out the window, Willow felt Tara pulling herself up onto the couch as well. "I wanted to play outside today, Tara…we can't now…"

"We could still go out, Willow." Turning towards the other child, Tara offered her a small smile. "Aunt Buffy bought us rain stuff, remember?"

"But Aunt Dawn said we're not supposed to go outside. We might get sick…" Her frown refusing to vanquish itself off of her lips, the red-head turned and sat down with her back to the couch. "So we _still_ can't go outside."

"Aunt Dawn's cleaning her room, remember? She won't know where we're playing…" Casting a small grin at the other child, Tara almost found herself giggling at the thought of doing something that she knew she and Willow weren't really allowed to do. "She might not even know we went outside if we come back in before she's done…"

"Are you sure? Aunt Buffy might get mad at us when she comes home…"

"I promise we won't get in trouble, ok?" Offering the red-head her trademark lopsided grin, Tara continued to grin as she saw the other child finally nodding.

"Ok, Tara, I trust you." As she heard Willow's response, the blonde child held out her hand to her, already pushing herself off of the couch and onto her feet. Laying her palm against the one offered to her, Willow jumped down off of the furniture piece and allowed Tara to lead her to the door. Scanning the top of the stairs to make sure that their 'sitter' was still involved in cleaning her room, the child silently gestured with her head towards the twin pair of rain boots sitting underneath the coat rack next to the door. Jogging lightly beside her everything, the red-headed child quickly sat down and started to pull the boots on over her bright pink socks. Once again silently checking the top of the stairs to make sure that Dawn wasn't coming to check on them, Tara quickly jumped in order to reach the two raincoats hanging on the coat rack, her tiny hands barely able to gain a grip on them. Managing to gain a grip on the two coats, the child quickly pulled them off the rack with a tug, and gently sat them down on the floor next to Willow.

"Which one is mine?" Looking at the pair of jackets laying on the floor beside her, Willow looked up at the other child and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know which one is yours."

"I think yours is the red one…" Handing the coat to the red-headed girl, Tara smiled. "It matches your hair…"

"Then the yellow one is yours…it matches your hair too!" Picking up the coat sitting on the floor at her side, the red-headed child had a bright smile on her face as she held it out for her girl to take. "I think Aunt Buffy bought them because they match us."

"Maybe." Slipping the yellow raincoat onto her small body, Tara smiled and giggled as she saw Willow already waiting somewhat eagerly by the door, her own coat already buttoned and her rain boots covering her feet.

"Come on, Tara, I wanna go play!" Willow said, forcing her voice to sound somewhat subdued in order to prevent drawing attention to herself or the other child. Hurriedly buttoning the rain coat up and pulling on her own rain boots, the blonde child smiled and nodded at Willow. Seeing the silent signal from her counterpart, the red-headed girl turned the knob slowly and surely, making sure that nothing so much as a squeak echoed into the room. Finally managing to open the door wide enough so that she and Tara could get through and out onto the porch, Willow smiled as she heard the almost constant sound of the rain beating down on every object within its range.

"Yay! We can splash through the puddles!" Grabbing the other child's hand as soon as she had made sure the door was shut in a quiet fashion, the red-head charged down the steps and out into the rain with endless abandon. As the heavy drops splashed down onto her hood, Willow jumped into the first large puddle she could find, the resulting splash almost hitting the other child she was holding onto. Giggling as she saw the red-head's glee at simply splashing around in puddles, Tara smiled brightly.

"You look so happy and silly..." Managing to push the sentence out between giggles, the golden haired child continued to watch as Willow splashed happily through the puddles lining the sidewalk. "It's funny…"

"I like being funny for you." Smiling brightly as she heard her companion's compliment, Willow turned slightly from where she was standing and tilted her head in order to try and draw out more giggles from Tara. "Your giggles make me wanna laugh."

A smile just as bright as Willow's coming to her lips, the child unleashed another spew of giggles as she gazed into the pools of green looking out at her.

"Come on, Tara, jump in the puddles with me!" Giving the other girl's arm a slight tug, the red-head giggled as she saw and somewhat felt her companion land feet first into the same puddle she was standing in. Her smile growing even wider until it stretched ear-to-ear at the sight of the golden-haired girl smiling, Willow giggled loudly and happily.

"Ok, brats, inside, _right now_." As the two children heard Dawn's voice echoing through their ears, they both froze in their tracks, the fun they had been having only moments earlier completely forgotten. Looking up, Willow felt her heart drop down to the deepest pits of her stomach as she saw the slightly angry look on the older girl's face.

"We were just playing, Aunt Dawn…" Her bright green eyes silently pleading with Dawn, the red-headed child reached out and gripped Tara's hand tighter than she ever had before. "We put on our rain stuff and everything…"

"Yeah, but you guys didn't tell me where you went. Come on, inside." Pushing gently on the two children's backs, Dawn frowned as felt the heavy rain drops continued to fall down on top of her hair. "Buffy's _not_ gonna be happy about this."

"But she bought us this stuff so we could go outside…"

"Willow, it's not that you and Tara went outside…" As the she and the children reached the relative safety of the porch, the younger Summers girl kneeled down onto her knee and looked the red-head in her green eyes. "You didn't tell me where you were going. If something had happened, Buffy would have had a heart attack."

"But-"

"No buts." Opening the door, Dawn pointed towards the inside of the house. "Inside. Corner time starting now."

"Ok." Hanging their heads sadly as they walked back into the house, Willow and Tara pulled off their rain-soaked coats and boots, leaving them in a small pile next to the door. Watching as she closed the door behind her, the younger Summers girl folded her arms across her chest once more, before nodding towards a certain corner of the room.

"Go on." Her expression continuing to remain stern, Dawn's gaze never once moved away from the two girls as they slowly made their way into the room. Giving a small sigh, the teenager turned towards the stairs and mounted them. _Buffy is not going to be happy…_

* * *

"Dawn, can you explain to me why Willow and Tara are sitting in the corner?" As she finished hanging her coat up onto the rack, Buffy continued to frown as she saw both children turn and look at her.

"They kinda went outside…without asking me…" Shoving her hands into the back pockets of her jeans, Dawn dropped her gaze away from the somewhat angry eyes staring at her. "So I kinda put them in time out for a while…"

"Did they wear their raincoats and stuff?" Perking up her eyebrow in response to the statement her sister had made, the Slayer folded her arms over her chest. "I mean, you didn't just let them run out there naked did you?"

_"No!"_ Her expression showing the disbelief that she was feeling, the younger Summers girl shook her head slightly. "Buffy, they had their stuff on and everything, but I didn't know they were outside!"

"Well, where were you? You were supposed to be babysitting them until I came home." Her exterior expression managing to remain calm, Buffy nevertheless continued to stare at her sister with a slightly angry look lining in her eyes. "You should have been able to see them going outside."

"I was…cleaning my room." Her gaze once again dropping down to the floor, Dawn started fidgeting slightly from where she was standing. "With music on."

"And there lies the problem." Rolling her eyes, Buffy crossed the floor into the living room, her eyes now focused solely on the two children attentively staring at her. "Come on, you can get out now."

"W-We're sorry w-w-we went outside without asking, Aunt Buffy…" Looking up at the older girl with her blue irises, Tara couldn't prevent herself from stuttering, her mind fearful of what might happen. Reaching out, Willow entwined her fingers with the slightly shaking ones her counterpart had.

"It's alright, I'm not mad." Kneeling down onto her bended knee, the Slayer offered the obviously frightened children a small smile in order to reassure them that everything was alright. "Just gotta let Aunt Dawn know where you guys are going next time, ok? You could have gotten hurt, and we wouldn't have known where you were."

"Ok. We're sorry again." Her head lowered somewhat but her green eyes still staring at the older woman in front of her, Willow toyed with a stray stream of fabric on her shirt. "We wanted to play outside."

"In the rain?"

"Willow w-wanted to splash in the puddles…" Smiling somewhat as she remembered how happy the other child had been earlier, Tara giggled slightly. "She looked funny."

"Well, next time, just ask Aunt Dawn. We gotta know where you guys are in case anything happens, ok? That's very important."

"Ok." Voicing the answer at exactly the same time, the two children giggled slightly. "We promise."

"Good." Finding herself smiling once again, Buffy returned to her full height and stretched slightly. "Now go watch TV. You're not going back outside again. I think you've had enough for one day."

"Ok, Aunt Buffy!" Jumping up off the stool that each of them had been sitting on, the two girls rushed towards the couch, each of them racing to get to the remote first. As her hands grabbed the end of the remote, and her companion's fingers wrapped around the top, Willow frowned.

"_Taraaaa,_ I wanna put something on!" Her voice emerging from her mouth as a cross between a whine and a playful compliment, the red-headed child pulled on the remote.

"No, I wanna pick what we watch!" Responding to the other girl's near demand for her to release the controller she held in her hands, Tara shook her head. "Let me have it!"

"Hey, come on, guys, no need to fight." Walking over and swiftly pulling the remote away from the two girls, Buffy sighed and turned on the TV. Surfing through the channels until she found a few reruns of 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch', she set the remote back down on the table. "There you go. Everyone happy with this?"

"Uh-huh!" Her attitude and stance showing the almost overwhelming amount of happiness and excitement that she felt, Willow grabbed Tara's hand and pulled the two of them towards the couch. "I love Magick shows!"

"So do I…" Smiling as well, although she wasn't half as excited as her companion was, the golden-haired girl smiled as she allowed Willow to lead her to the couch. Settling into a comfortable sitting position, the two girls smiled and snuggled as they watched the television screen. Smiling at the sight, Buffy quietly left the room without another word. Having watched the entire scene from her newly acquired perch on the steps, Dawn's expression showed how utterly flabbergasted she was at that moment.

"How are they so good for you, and then they're evil little brats to me?"

"Brats attract brats with their brattyness, don't they?" Her sentence utterly dripping with sarcasm, Buffy couldn't help but chuckle. "You just gotta be nice to them."

"I am nice! I'm nothing but nice!" Somewhat shocked at what her sister had said, the younger Summers girl returned to her feet and was beside her sister in an instant. "Nobody's nicer than me!"

"Except me." Smiling brightly as she walked away towards the kitchen, Buffy continued to listen to her sister's complaints as she ventured on a 'quest' to figure out what was for dinner.

* * *

As she followed Willow's path through the backyard, Tara snuck around the edge of the porch as she caught sight of a familiar head of hair. Smiling as she crept along the edge of the wooden planks that made up the back portion of the Summers home, the girl silently counted to three in her head before jumping out in an attempt to scare the other girl.

"Rawr! I found you!" Making her face scrunch up with an exaggerated expression, Tara curled her fingers at her sides as she waited for the girl to respond in a shocked fashion. Looking up at the other girl, Willow's green eyes showed a noticeable amount of pain. Noticing the emotion, the blonde girl dropped the entire act she had been playing and sat down beside the red-head.

"What's wrong, Willow? You look sick."

"I don't feel good…" Shaking her head, Willow closed her eyes and leaned back against the siding of the porch. Jumping to her feet, the other girl ran into the house, her eyes frantically searching for any of the older Scoobies within the house. Having heard the back door open, Dawn peeked out into the hallway, her eyes curiously looking at the young child.

"What's the matter, Tara? Where's Willow?"

"She doesn't look good, she looks sick." Rushing over to the other girl, the child took hold of the girl's hand and pulled her towards the door with a small struggle. "Come on, come look at her."

"Something wrong out there, Dawn?" Yelling out the question from where she had been reading over something in the living room, Buffy tilted her head somewhat in an attempt to get a better look at what was occurring in the next room.

"Tara says Willow doesn't feel good. I'm going to go see what's wrong." Following the child out the door, Dawn saw where Willow was now laying curled in a ball on the floor.

"See? What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know, Tara." Kneeling down beside the red-headed child, the younger Summers girl reached out and pushed some of the girl's hair out of her face. "Willow, are you alright?"

"I don't feel good." Looking up at the older girl as a tear fell from her cheek, Willow held out her arms. "Make it stop."

"Come here." Bending over and picking up the girl underneath her arms, Dawn gently helped the girl over her shoulder. Resting her head on the older girl's shoulder, Willow closed her eyes.

"I really don't feel good…"

"Tara, you didn't hurt her, did you?"

"No, we were playing, and I came and found her, and she was crying." Shaking her twin pony-tailed head, Tara looked up at the older girl as Dawn continued to hold Willow.

"I want my Mommy…" Shaking her head as more tears fell from her eyes, Willow buried her head deeper into Dawn's clothed shoulder. Resting her hand on the child's back, the Summers girl rubbed it slightly in an attempt to calm the other girl down.

"Ssshhh, we're going inside, Willow. I'm going to give you a bath, and then tuck you in for bed."

"But-" Speaking up for a moment, Tara fell silent as the older girl carried Willow back into the house. Following them, the girl opened the door and watched as Dawn took Willow and headed for the stairs.

"W-W-Willow?" Calling out her constant companion's name as she watched the red-head and Dawn disappeared onto the second floor. Already able to feel a small wave of tears beginning to well up in her eyes as a result of her concern for the other child, Tara leaned back against the island centered in the middle of the kitchen, and curled her legs around herself. And only then did she allow the tears to escape.

* * *

As she made her way into the kitchen, Buffy could hear the barely audible sound of a child crying, the mere sound of it making her only more determined to find the source. Making her way around the other side of the island, the Slayer felt her heart drop slightly as she saw Tara cuddled around herself, her cheeks stained with tears that she had only just recently shed.

"Tara?" Dropping down onto her knees in order to pull the child into her arms, Buffy frowned as she felt Tara continuing to cry. "What's wrong?"

"Willow's sick, and I don't know what's going on…" Nuzzling her head into the older girl's shirt, the golden-haired child continued crying, although the speed at which they descended from her eyes had greatly decreased within only moments. "Aunt Buffy, what's wrong with her? She was crying and I think something might be hurting her…"

"She's just got an upset tummy, ok, Tara?" Looking down at the child she was holding, the Slayer gently stroked her hair and smiled. "Nothing to be worried about. She's gonna be ok, we just gotta take her to the Doctor to make sure she's ok."

"Can I please go see her? I'm worried that she might be hurting. We're supposed to protect each other…" Frowning, the child looked directly at the older girl's face as she gently pushed one of her twin pony-tails out of her face. "Pretty please?"

"Dawn's going to get her ready for bed, and then you can go see her, ok?"

"Ok." Nodding, Tara frowned and dropped her gaze down to the floor below her, her tears almost completely ceased.

"Do you want to watch cartoons while we're waiting?" Offering the other girl a smile as she saw the amount of worry stretched out across the child's face, Buffy's smile grew even wider as she saw the blonde smile slightly back at her.

"Ok…" Giving a small nod along with her smile, the golden-haired girl continued to smile slightly as she felt Buffy returning to her full height as the two of them journeyed back into the living room, the TV that had been playing in the background still showing a rapidly changing image on its screen. Easing herself gently down onto the unoccupied sofa with Tara still held securely in her hands, the Slayer snuggled herself into a more comfortable position while simultaneously reaching for the remote.

* * *

"Ok, I finally got Willow into bed." As she stepped down from the last step and entered the living room, Dawn ran her thumb over a small wet patch of her shirt. "Although I feel like she thought I needed a bath too."

"Is she ok?" Lifting her gaze from the seemingly mindless show she and Tara had been watching, Buffy frowned slightly. "We've got someone here who's upset about her friend not feeling so good."

"Aww…" Plopping herself down into a nearby chair, the younger Summers girl gave a small sigh. "Well, she was still crying about her tummy being upset. She threw up a little bit again when I got her out of the bath."

"Anything else?" Her eyes still entirely focused on her sister, the Slayer knew that Tara was listening to the conversation now as well. "We gotta know what's wrong when we take her to the Doctors."

"She was coughing a little, and she said her nose was runny…she was sick all around."

"Aunt Buffy, I wanna see Willow…" Tilting her head back so she was looking directly up at the older girl's face, Tara frowned. "I wanna see her now…"

"Tara, she's sick. We don't want you getting sick too..." Stopping mid-sentence as she saw the way concern danced about in the child's eyes, Buffy gave a small sigh and nodded. "Ok, you can go see her."

Practically jumping off of the older girl's lap, the golden-haired child raced across the floor and headed for the stairs. Unable to stop herself from smiling, the Slayer chuckled under her breath before switching her attention back to her sister.

"Some things don't change, do they?"

* * *

As she walked through the half-closed door that led to the bed room she and Willow shared, Tara could already hear the soft sound of someone crying.

"Willow?" Taking a few almost over-eager steps into the darkened room, the golden-haired child could only think of finding and comforting her companion. "Willow, where are you?"

"In bed…" A groggy voice responding to her inquiry, Tara broke out into a run as she rushed to the bed, jumping up so that she could gain a foothold in pulling herself up. The warm comforter greeted her body as she quickly crawled over to the wrapped up body of a familiar red-head.

"What's wrong, Willow? Aunt Buffy said you had an upset tummy…"

"My tummy hurts really bad." Rolling over onto her side in order to look at her girl, Willow's face showed the amount of pain she was in. "I don't think it liked when we played in the rain and the puddles…"

Seeing the tears that still stained the other child's cheeks, Tara frowned and took hold of one of the red-head's hands.

"Do you want me to rub your tummy? That might make it feel better." She asked, her palm slowly and gently rubbing her companion's hand.

"Ok." Nodding as she closed her green eyes, Willow felt the other girl pull the blanket down that had been laid over top of her by Dawn. Laying her hand over-top of the red-head's pajama clad stomach, Tara rubbed her hand back and forth in a circular motion as she readjusted herself so that she was laying on her side beside the other girl.

"I'm gonna marry you someday, Willow." Looking down at the girl whose tummy she was still rubbing, the blonde girl smiled as she heard a small giggle from the red-head beside her. "I wanna be your wife, and we can live in a big house, and love each other lots and lots."

"But we're both girls. We both would be Mommies. There wouldn't be a boy to be a Daddy…" Continuing to giggle slightly at the girl's statement, Willow momentarily forgot her upset stomach as she smiled.

"That sounds ok. Boys are stupid anyway, remember?" Still smiling, the blonde child saw the pair of green eyes staring back at her flood with amusement. "And we don't need them. We've got each other to make each other happy."

"Ok…I like that…" Nodding somewhat sleepishly, Willow closed her eyes as she reveled in the feeling of her closest friend gently rubbing her stomach. "We could live happily ever after…"

For the first time in an entire hour or so, she felt completely at peace with herself. As the seeds of exhaustion finally began to take hold over her weary mind, the red-headed child snuggled closer to Tara, her upset stomach seeking more of the comforting hand rubbing it.

* * *

"I don't like it here. It's scary." Burying her head deeper into Buffy's shoulder, Willow whimpered slightly as her stomach continued to do nothing but cartwheels inside her. It had been hours since she had first thrown up the night before, and nothing had improved over the course of those hours. Not even Tara's soothing tummy rubs were doing anything to keep the sickness at bay anymore. Unsure of what else to do, Buffy had conceded to Dawn's (and secretly her own) wishes and taken her to the nearby doctor's office, although Willow most certainly wasn't happy about the decision.

Frowning at seeing her companion's pain, Tara reached out and grabbed the red-head's hand, her fingers gently massaging the palm they were touching.

"We're just going to find out what's making you feel bad, and then we'll go home and snuggle and watch cartoons, ok?" Her green eyes still closed tightly, the girl nevertheless gave a nod as she heard the golden-haired child's promise.

"It's too scary in here. I wanna go home, Tara…"

"We'll go home soon, Wills, I promise." Readjusting the way she was holding the red-head in order to finish filling out some paperwork that the desk nurse had handed her, the Slayer was glad that Willow had finally conceded to coming here, considering that Tara had tried for at least an hour to persuade her that it would be alright. Deciding to strike while the 'iron was hot', Buffy had even promised Willow that they could forgo taking a bath before they came here. Considering that she was sure it was a perfectly normal thing for children to be a in a Doctor's office wearing their pajamas, the Slayer didn't see any kind of problem with it.

"It's ok, Willow, I'm here. I'll protect you, remember?" Smiling at the other child, Tara stood up in the chair that she was sitting in so that she could awkwardly hug the other child. "I'll beat up anybody that tries to make you feel sad or hurt you…"

"Thank you, Tara." Offering the girl a smile, Willow closed her eyes and nuzzled her head back into Buffy's shoulder. "Can we go home soon, Aunt Buffy?"

"Wills, I told you we'll go home after we're done. Just try to relax. No need to be nervous."

"Can she sit with me, Aunt Buffy? I could calm her down." Looking up at the older girl, Tara smiled widely, hoping that her charm would persuade the other girl. "Please? I don't care if I get sick or anything!"

"Alright, Tara." Gently moving the red-head from the mixture of her lap and shoulder to the seat next to her, Buffy leaned back in her own chair once Willow had gotten herself comfortable. "There, feel any better, Willow?"

"I still don't like it here." Closing her eyes, the red-headed child rested her head against the open shoulder sitting beside her. "Tara, I wanna go home. I wanna go home _now_."

"Aunt Buffy said we're here to get stuff to make you feel better, ok?" Snaking her arm around so that it rested on the other child's shoulder, Tara offered her companion a smile. "I won't let them hurt you."

"Promise?" Staring into the pools of blue staring at her, the red-headed girl sniffled slightly as her stomach continued to hurt slightly.

"I promise. Remember what I said? Nobody hurts you when I'm around."

"I just wanna go home." As she once again rested her head on the other child's shoulder, Willow sniffled slightly before pressing the sleeve of her shirt against her eye as a single tear started to well up. "I wanna go home and snuggle with you."

"Miss Summers?" Looking up from the magazine she had just begun to flip through, Buffy found herself looking at one of the seemingly endless amount of nurses that were always situated around the entire hospital. "Doctor Croft will see you now."

Whimpering slightly, Willow curled herself further into Tara's side as if she could hide away from the world in the other girl's embrace. Looking at the nurse, the golden-haired girl scowled as she wrapped her arms around the other child.

"You're making her afraid. Stop doing that!" Twisting her tone so that she sounded as demanding as she could manage to be, Tara's expression likewise followed suite as she stared somewhat angrily at the nurse.

"Tara, it's alright. Stop being mean to the nurse." Giving the child a quick glare, Buffy nevertheless returned her gaze onto the woman standing before her a few moments later. "Sorry. They're a little protective of each other. Don't really think about other people when they're like that."

"I can see that." Chuckling slightly, the nurse simply smiled at the child still glaring at her. "I take it someone doesn't like having someone else be sick?"

"You're making her afraid. She doesn't like it here. I don't like people scaring Willow." Holding the other child tighter against her as she continued to talk, Tara finally moved her gaze away from the nurse and stared at Willow. "You ok, Willow? I scared them for you."

"Thank you, Tara…" Leaning in to give her friend a kiss, the red-head whined slightly as she felt herself being picked up and pulled away from Tara's warm grip.

"Uh-uh. No kisses, sick-y girl." Shaking her head as she gently picked Willow back up, Buffy grinned slightly as she saw Tara glaring at her for the slightest of moments. "No kissing Tara until we get you better."

"Ok, Aunt Buffy…" A pout coming to her expression without any effort whatsoever, the red-headed child wrapped her arms around the older girl's neck as both she, Buffy, and Tara walked towards a large pair of double-doors that undoubtedly led to the examination rooms. Closing her eyes tightly as she heard said doors open, Willow forced herself to breathe. She only hoped that Tara could protect her as well in here as she had out there.


	6. Sick

**Chapter 5**

"Buffy Summers?"

"That's me." Looking up at the man who had just entered the room, Buffy forced a small smile to her face. "One and only."

"I'm sure." Setting his clipboard down onto the nearby counter, the Doctor looked at the red-head resting on the older girl's lap. "And how are you feeling?"

"Not good. My tummy won't stop hurting." Resting her head against Buffy's chest, Willow looked at the man with her green eyes showing a slight amount of fear. Watching the entire scene, Tara frowned, her hand still holding onto Willow's from her place in the chair directly beside Buffy's.

"Well, that's not good at all." Offering the child a small smile, Doctor Croft turned his gaze upwards in order to look at Buffy. "I take it that your daughter has shown other symptoms?"

"My wh-" Biting down on her tongue as she realized that the man was only going off what she had written down on the information sheet, Buffy closed her eyes for a moment before continuing. "She's thrown up a few times, but that's been it. No fever or anything similar to that. Guess maybe I should count myself lucky. I wouldn't want her to be any sicker than she already is."

"Do you have any idea of what might have caused her to get sick? There are reports of a bug making the rounds, especially around the local college. Is it within the realm of possibility that you might have come in contact with it there?"

"I don't know, maybe. I'm enrolled there, but I haven't gotten sick or anything, and I don't take my daughters there. They usually stay at home with my sister."

"It's quite possible that you brought the virus in on your clothes or through some other means of contact. In reality, it could be any number of things, so we have no way of being absolutely sure."

"What do you recommend I do? I don't want her to keep throwing up." As if to add to the effect of what Buffy was saying, Willow coughed slightly, the sound of it growing steadily worse as it continued for a moment or so. Looking down at the girl, the blonde Slayer sighed, and resumed rubbing the child's back. "Although I'm starting to think maybe she's getting worse."

"Well, the bug that I've been subjected to treating the most recently is just a simple case of the flu. Nothing serious, and if treated, it should pass in a couple days, if she gets enough rest."

"Does that mean Willow's gonna get better?" Looking up from where she had been sitting, Tara stared at the doctor with her blue eyes piercing through to his soul. "I want her to get better."

"Yes, yes, she'll get better. Not a single doubt in my mind." Grabbing the clipboard off of the counter, the man quickly took a pen out of his pocket and began to scribble some things down. "Now, you said the symptoms were upset stomach, vomiting, and coughing?"

"That's all we've seen so far."

"My tummy hurts, Tara. I want a hug." Looking at the girl sitting beside her, Willow tried unsuccessfully to squirm out of the older girl's lap. Staring back at the other child, Tara frowned.

"When we get to the car, I promise you lots and lots hugs, ok?" Nodding her understanding, the red-head closed her eyes and leaned her head back against Buffy's chest.

"I'll try to hurry this along. It's obvious your daughters don't like being here. I see that a lot in young children."

"Oh, yeah, trust me. They're definitely not on the positive side of seeing doctors…not that there's anything wrong with you." Catching herself in the middle of her sentence, the Slayer nodded as she rushed to think of a way to explain herself. "Definitely nothing wrong. I've met a lot of Doctors in my time, and you're one of the nicest."

"Yes, yes, trust me, I've heard all of them by now." His voice laced with a mixed batch of sarcasm and genuine amusement, the Doctor continued filling out information on his clipboard. Still squirming from her seat in Buffy's lap, Willow coughed once more. Frowning, Tara reached over as best she could do and entwined her fingers amongst the red-head's own digits. A few more minutes passed before Buffy found herself with both Willow and a prescription in her hands. Quickly walking down the hallway with Tara in tow, the blonde Slayer rubbed the red-head's back slightly, wanting to make sure that her friend was at least marginally comfortable.

"You ok, Willow?" She asked, her hand still gently rubbing the child's back.

"I wanna go home….I wanna go…" Closing her green eyes, Willow coughed somewhat harshly as she laid her head against Buffy's shoulder. " I wanna go home now…"

"We're going, Wills, I promise." Readjusting how the red-headed child was laying against her chest and shoulder, Buffy finished the last bit of paperwork before she once again took Tara's hand and all three of them headed for the exit. Her green eyes hidden away from the world, Willow coughed again, the sound of it growing more violent slightly. Frowning as she dug in the pockets of her jeans for the keys to the car at her side. Opening the door, the Slayer gently sat Willow down into her seat before buckling her in. Paying no attention to what was happening, the red-head coughed again, the sound turning into gagging for a moment before it died down once more.

A frown lining her expression, Buffy turned to Tara and picked the child up before she shut the open door at her side. Walking around the vehicle, she opened the opposite door and began to gently set the blonde haired girl down.

"Aunt Buffy?" Looking up at the older girl as she was being lifted into the backseat, Tara frowned as she heard Willow starting to cough and gag again. "Can I sit in the middle? Please? I promised Willow lots of hugs and stuff. I wanna make her feel better."

"Do you think you can?" Seeing the girl nod, Buffy stepped onto the floor of the car in order to safely lift Tara into the middle seat. "Alright then. Willow, sit up, Tara's going to sit in the middle so she can be beside you."

"I'm so sleepy. It makes my tummy wanna hurt…" Was the red-headed girl's only response as she lifted her head slightly, her green eyes barely open.

"You can sleep on my lap, Willow." Smiling slightly as she was gently set down into the seat, Tara's hands pulled the red-head as close to her as possible while Buffy finished buckling her into her seat.

"Everybody alright?" The Slayer asked as she stepped out of the car and rose back to her full height. Looking up at the older girl, the blonde child smiled widely.

"Uh-huh."

"My tummy won't stop hurting, Tara." Looking up at the girl seated beside her, Willow sniffled slightly. "It hurts really bad. It makes me wanna throw up again..."

"It's ok, I still love you lots and lots, remember?" Laying her head into Tara's open lap, Willow closed her eyes as she listened to the girl's words. Gently beginning to play with the other child's red hair, Tara frowned as she heard Willow starting to gag once again.

"Are you ok?" She asked, her frown only deepening as she heard her companion once again beginning to cough and gag. "Willow, does your tummy hurt really bad?"

"I just wanna go home, Tara." Willow answered while nodding in response to the other girl's question. "My tummy hurts, I don't feel good, and I just wanna snuggle with you. I wanna go home…"

"We're going home right now, Wills, I promise." Turning around as she sat down into the driver's seat of the car, Buffy frowned at hearing the red-head's words. "Ok, don't worry. You're gonna get better soon, I promise."

"She just wants to go home, Aunt Buffy." A frown still lining her expression, Tara leaned back into her seat as she continued moving her hands through Willow's hair. "Can we just go home?"

"We are, Tara. We are." Turning around with a frown still on her face, Buffy turned the keys in the ignition and the car roared to life. Giving a small sigh after backing out of the parking lot and turning into the traffic lane, the Slayer felt as if the situation all of them were in was momentarily spiraling out of control. Willow and Tara as children she could handle, but having one of said girls as a child _and_ sick at the same time? That…that wasn't something she had planned on. It wasn't as big as say the end of the world, but still…it was almost as stressing as one. As Willow coughed and gagged once more in the backseat, Buffy tried her best to focus on getting all of them through traffic and back to the house.

* * *

As she pulled the bottom of the child's pajama top down into place, Dawn frowned as she heard Willow beginning to cough once more, the sound of it rough, as if she were close to gagging or hacking.

"Are you ok, Willow? You want some water?" She asked, her hands already moving to glass of water resting on the counter of the sink. Continuing to cough, the red-headed child greedily accepted the glass offered to her. Drinking the liquid down in short order, she handed the empty glass back to Dawn once she was finished.

"Better?"

"My throat hurts." Shaking her head, the red-head's voice did seem noticeable harsh and groggy in comparison to it's normally cheerful sound, something that had only developed within the last few hours. Still frowning, Dawn tried to calm herself, remembering that Buffy had said there would be a few side-effects from the medicine that the Doctor had prescribed to them. _Guess having a sore throat is one of them…_

"We just need to get you to sleep, Willow." Smiling, Tara wrapped her arms around the other child's chest from where she stood behind her. Swaying her and Willow back and forth rapidly, the blonde child smiled widely as she snuggled into the red-head's shoulder. "Then you'll feel better!"

"My tummy hurts again…" Closing her eyes as the other child continued to sway the two of them , Willow started to cough again.

"Tara, you'd better stop. You're gonna make Willow get sick again." Her lips forming a small frown as she watched the scene and heard the red-head's words flowing through her brain, Dawn knelt down onto her knees and steadied Willow by putting her hands on the girl's shoulders. Resting her head down onto the knee in front of her, the red-headed child coughed once more. The sound of it remaining just as harsh as it had been minutes earlier, she made no struggle as the older girl picked her up.

"Time to get you off to bed." The brunette said, forcing a small smile to her face as she gently stroked the red tresses curled into her.

"Sorry, Willow. I didn't mean to make you sick." Frowning, Tara looked sadly up at her constant companion. Keeping close as Dawn walked out the door with the almost asleep Willow in her hands, the blonde child gave a small sigh as she looked up at where Willow's head rested against Dawn's shoulder. "Are you ok?"

Giving only a small nod of her head in response to the other child's question, the red-head coughed a few more times as the hands carrying her set her down gently onto the relatively warm bed. Almost immediately at the bed's side, Tara hopped slightly beside where Dawn was standing, wanting only to be as close to Willow as possible. Giggling slightly at the sight of seeing the child actually hopping, the youngest Summers child knelt down slightly in order to pick Tara up, before carefully placing her beside her companion on the sheets.

"Night, Aunt Dawn." Smiling as she received a kiss on the forehead, Tara turned over onto her side as her blue eyes watched the red-head still lying wide awake beside her.

"Night, Willow. Hope you start feeling better." Giving the other child the same kiss she had given the first, Dawn turned and left the room, making sure to leave the bedroom door open slightly so that a single beam of light penetrated the darkness of the room. From underneath the slightly heavy covers that had been draped over both herself and the other girl beside her, Tara scootched herself closer and closer to Willow until she was virtually tucked into the red-head's side. Her green eyes still drooping from the exhaustion she felt that had been brought on by a combination of the stressful day she had had and the medicine that she had taken, Willow felt the other child lay her head atop her shoulder before giving a small satisfied sigh.

"Night, Willow."

"Night, Tara." Rolling over onto her side slightly, the red-head whimpered as the pain in her stomach that had been subdued for the past hour began to spark back to life. Opening her eyes, Tara looked at the girl she was lying beside, and frowned deeply.

"What's the matter, Willow? Does your tummy hurt again?"

"Uh-huh." Nodding as she closed her eyes, Willow felt the other girl pulling her closer. "Aunt Buffy said the medicine was gonna make me better. Did she lie?"

"No, Aunt Buffy's not a liar. Maybe your tummy doesn't like the medicine? Did it taste yucky when you drank it?" Seeing the red-head nod once more, Tara frowned. "Maybe your tummy doesn't like that you took the medicine Aunt Buffy gave you. If it tasted yucky, then your tummy may not wanna have it."

"I just wanna go to sleep." Sniffling, Willow felt her eyes beginning to water up as tears began to form between the cracks of her skin and her eyes. "Tara, why does my tummy hate me?"

"It doesn't hate you. You're not hateable, you can only be loved. You're cute and stuff!"

"Why did I get sick then? Something inside me doesn't like me because I'm me." Still frowning, the red-headed child felt a small tear make its escape from its prison inside her eye and start to trail down her cheek. "Why do the things inside me hate me?"

"No-one hates you. I love you, ok?" Still staring into her companion's striking green eyes, Tara pulled the other child to her in a hug. "I love you lots and lots and lots!"

"My tummy doesn't." Her green eyes gaze falling away from the other child's face, Willow felt something soft gently wipe away the tear falling down her cheek. Wiping away the lone tear-drop with the sleeve of her pajama top, Tara frowned.

"I love you, Willow. Love, love, love, love. I love you lots and lots."

"Thank you." Finally looking at the girl's face, the red-head smiled slightly. "You have a pretty voice."

"I could sing for you. Would that make your tummy feel better?"

"Maybe. I wanna hear you sing. Sing me a pretty song." Nodding somewhat quickly before her stomach forced her to stop, Willow smiled slightly. Her mind quickly beginning to formulate the words to a song that she could sing to the other child, Tara fell silent for a moment or two before smiling widely, and started to sing in a somewhat subdued fashion.

"_Sleep tight, don't let the monsters bite_

_Keep you warm and close, You're pretty like a rose_

_I love you lots and lots, I'm happy that it's you I've gots_

_I love you Willow, and I always will." _

Smiling as she finished the entirely adlibbed lullaby, Tara looked down to see her companion curling herself around her body. Her expression showed that she had fallen asleep. Smiling as she saw the result of her song, the child eased herself down into a more comfortable laying position, and closed her eyes, eager to join Willow in her slumber.

* * *

As she and Willow continued to lay cuddled up together on the bed in front of the little TV that had been set up for them, Tara smiled as Dawn popped the tape back into the slightly weathered VCR resting atop the television itself. Rolling her eyes as she hit the play button, the youngest Summers girl turned around in order to face the two children attentively awaiting for the film to start over again.

"Don't you guys wanna watch something else? I don't think I can sit through 'Balto' one more time..." She said as she nevertheless crossed the room and sat back down into her seat beside the bed.

"But it's one of Willow's favorite movies." Giving a small nod to Dawn, the golden-haired child pulled the red-head closer to her. A blanket wrapped around her pajamas, Willow's green eyes somewhat tiredly watched the TV screen as the previews began to flash by yet again. Her knees still pulled up to her chest, she continued to sit with her head resting on her companion's shoulder. A day or so had passed, and thanks to the combination of medicine and rest, she was starting to feel better. Her stomach had ceased its attempts to make her throw up, and as a result, she was feeling much happier than she had been a day or so before.

"But really? Watching it four times in a row? Is that like…even sane?" Giggling a little at her own question, Dawn retrieved the blanket she herself had been curled under.

"Don't call her names!" Beginning to glare at the other girl, Tara pulled Willow closer to her as if she had to protect her. "She just wants to watch the movie!"

"Easy, Tara, I was only joking." Holding her hands in front of her as if to show that she wasn't going to do anything to the red-headed child Tara was protecting, Dawn shook her head. "Just calm down…"

"Ok…" Her glare slowly melting away from her face, Tara settled back into her place on the bed and focused on the TV screen. As the first scene of the movie came onto the screen, revealing the back-drop of New York City, Willow smiled and snuggled herself further into the blanket that Tara had wrapped around the two of them.

"I love this movie." Her entire body completely engulfed in the warmth of the combination of her pajamas and the blanket, the red-headed child looked up at the girl sitting beside her and smiled brightly. "Almost as much as I love you."

"I love you too, Willow." Tilting her head so that she could she could give the other child a kiss on the cheek, Tara's smile was spread ear-to-ear across her face. "Maybe your tummy likes it too, and that's why it's not hurting anymore."

"That means that I wouldn't have to drink the yucky medicine again." Shaking her head slightly as the taste of the medicine ran through her taste's buds 'memory', Willow gagged slightly. "Yucky…"

"Yep." Giving a small nod as she saw her companion shake her head. "It's yucky. I'm glad I'm not sick. I wouldn't wanna take the yucky stuff."

"Nope, you don't." Nodding her head in agreement with the other child, the red-head snuggled her head back into its make-shift pillow made up of a combination of the blanket and Tara's shoulder. Her green eyes focusing on the screen, Willow felt her eye lids starting to droop about halfway through the movie. Casually glancing over at the red-head to make sure she was still feeling alright, Dawn grinned as she saw the child struggling to stay awake.

"Getting tired, Willow?" She asked, her question going unanswered by the sleepy red-head.

"She's funny when she sleeps." Tara answered, drawing the older girl's attention away from her companion. "She says things that are funny."

"Does she? Like what?"

"Tadpoles, cookies, and other stuff. She makes me laugh." A grin firmly embracing her lips, the golden-haired child snuggled closer to Willow, whose eyes continued to droop until she was beginning to drift back to sleep. "She gets sleepy when we snuggle."

"We know." Giggling as she heard the child's confession, Dawn leaned back further into her chair, finding herself more and more amusement by the sight at her side. "Remember, our walls bleed through."

"They do?" Her eyes flooding slightly with shock, Tara looked at the older girl silently for a moment. "I don't like seeing blood."

As she heard Tara's explanation, Dawn finally couldn't restrain herself from laughing any further. Her laughter echoing through the room, she closed her eyes and buried her head into her knees as she continued laughing, the believability of how Tara had misunderstood the statement only serving to further her laughter. The older girl's laughter doing nothing to disturb her sleep, Willow cuddled further into the combination of her pajamas, the blanket, and Tara that surrounded her. Sighing happily in her sleep, the red-headed girl peacefully snoozed as Dawn continued to laugh.

"What's so funny, Aunt Dawn?" The golden haired child asked, her confusion showing in her expression. "I really don't like blood…"

"No, Tara, bleeding through, it means the sound goes through."

"Goes through where?"

"The wall…" Her laughter momentarily subsiding as she continued to try and explain the phrase to Tara, Dawn nevertheless continued to hold a large grin on her lips. "The sound goes through the wall."

"Where does the wall go when the sound goes through it?"

"Nowhere."

"So how does the sound get through?" More confused than before, the golden-haired child stared blankly at the older girl. "Does the sound ask the wall to move so it can go through?"

"No, Tara, the sound goes through the wall. The wall doesn't go anywhere…."

"So the sound is mean and pushes the wall out of the way?"

* * *

"Willow and Tara finally fall asleep?" Looking up from the stake she was sharpening, Buffy watched Dawn sink down into the easy chair. This was beginning to become a little bit of a routine for her sister, being exhausted by the two children now running around the house and sinking into the chair in the living room. "I'll take the exhausted look on your face right now as a yes."

"Mom never looked this exhausted…"

"I know…" Tilting her slightly as she looked down at the ground, Buffy sighed somewhat unhappily as memories of her mother came rushing back to her mind. Forcing herself to once again start on sharpening the stake, the Slayer knew that her sister was looking at her, but she paid no mind to it. "So, are you gonna wake them up or am I?"

"What do you mean?" The confusion in her voice genuine, the younger Summers girl perked up her eyebrow in a manner that silently said 'You've got to be kidding me right now'. "I just got them to go to sleep. Do you realize how many times I had to watch 'Balto' with them?"

"That's one of your favorite movies, isn't it?"

"When I was _five!" _Rolling her eyes, the brunette slowly rose back onto her feet. "Why exactly do you need to wake them up anyway?"

"Willow needs to take more of her medicine. Not my idea, it says on the label." Giving a small shrug, Buffy shoved the stake into the pocket of her jacket before standing back up. "So, we gotta wake them up."

"Ugh…" Burying her face into her palm, the younger Summers girl continued to wordlessly voice her annoyance as she and her sister walked up the stairs. "You should have told me that before I got them to go to sleep…"

"Sorry. Didn't figure you'd be able to knock Tara out as well." Clearing the last step in short order, Buffy stopped in the bathroom in order to grab the jar of medicine still sitting atop the sink. Taking it and refilling the glass of water that lay close to it, she frowned at Dawn.

"Willow didn't like taking it, did she?" She said, wanting to wait a moment in order to make sure she was prepared to get her friend to take the medicine. Even as an adult, she knew for a fact that the red-head didn't like any kind of medication, at least as far as Tara had told her. And if she wouldn't take medicine from Tara, then she had her job cut out for her.

"Eh, she didn't. Tara calmed her down though." Shrugging her shoulders as she spoke, Dawn shook her head. "Once Tara talked to her, she took the medicine pretty quick."

"I guess as soon as Willow wakes up, Tara won't be far behind."

"Guess we better get this over with then."

"Yep." Giving a small nod of her head as she and her sister walked into the room, Buffy stopped suddenly, causing Dawn to run into her back.

"Buffy, wh-"

_"Sssshhh…"_ Pressing a free finger to her lips, the Slayer gestured with a nod of her head towards the bed with Willow and Tara were still curled up to each other underneath the warmth and safety of a large blanket. Her eyes darting to the two children, Dawn made a small muted 'aww' sound.

_"Awwww_, they look so cute…" Her tone noticeable hushed due to the fact that neither she nor her sister wanted to awaken the sleeping children so close to them, Dawn felt her heart swooning inside her. "I gotta get my camera!"

"Dawn-" Unable to say anything else as her sister quietly, but quickly rushed out of the room, Buffy couldn't deny that the sight she was staring at wasn't one of the…'cutest' things she had ever seen. Granted, she had had her fair share of 'aww' moments from watching Willow & Tara, going as far back as to when she had been introduced to the blonde Wiccan, but this…this was on a new level of cuteness. Momentarily shaken of her thoughts as her sister rushed back into the room, the Slayer grinned slightly as Dawn snapped a few photos.

"I hope you know that they're going to want those when they're normal again." Buffy said as she watched her sister snap picture after picture of the two sleeping girls with a large smile on her face. "Right after they burn the negatives."


End file.
